Concr launches trial using digital twins for outcome prediction in breast cancer

London, United Kingdom, 10 July 2024 – Concr ​​announces that first patients have been recruited to the VISION trial, an observational clinical study evaluating Concr’s therapeutic response predictive algorithm defining biomarkers of chemotherapy and immunotherapy response in early Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC).

VISION (NCT06409221) is an observational retrospective study focusing on women who were previously diagnosed with early TNBC and received chemotherapy followed by curative breast surgery. The 24-month-long study will collect historical clinical data and profile archival cancer biopsy samples from up to 200 women in order to identify and validate biomarkers of chemotherapy response, with and without immunotherapy.

“Triple Negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Hence, Concr has prioritised this clinical indication as a key research area by sponsoring the VISION study.  The VISION study will test the value created through the combination of clinical data, genomic data and machine learning approaches for enabling treatment stratification at an individual level. We believe this approach will represent the next generation of diagnostic platforms in cancer care” shared Dr Uzma Asghar, Concr’s Chief Scientific Officer and VISION Project Lead.

The multi-centre study featuring UK and Australian sites backed by a prestigious Innovate UK Precision Medicine project grant (AI-VISION) was announced earlier this year, with key partners The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University. Patients will be recruited from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, a globally-leading specialist cancer hospital, going live as the primary clinical site last month.

Dr Navita Somaiah, Principal Investigator and Clinician Scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, said: “We’re very pleased to take the next step in this innovative project, which is using AI to try to uncover new methods to predict which women with triple negative breast cancer may respond better or less well to current therapies. We hope this collaboration will ultimately help to guide treatment for some women with this form of breast cancer”.

Concr’s FarrSight®-Twin technology will utilise genomic data from diagnostic and surgical breast cancer samples together with whole-slide imaging and clinical data from trial participants to create a “digital twin” of every individual patient, which will be used to predict treatment response to chemotherapy (anthracycline, taxanes, platinum, anti-metabolites) and immunotherapy (pembrolizumab). Subsequently, FarrSight® will be used to explore biological mechanisms behind sensitivity to chemotherapy +/- immunotherapy. This approach could pave a way to better stratify and treat TNBC, which disproportionately affects black women, while simultaneously testing a novel approach that could be readily deployed in clinic.

“While much of the dialogue surrounding AI in healthcare focuses on its potential, we must not overlook the fact that AI tools can - and do - deliver tangible benefits to patients today. VISION is testing a novel individualised care approach designed by clinicians, leveraging latest technology alongside existing diagnostic tests, to facilitate rapid adoption.” commented Concr’s CEO Dr Irina Babina.

For more information on VISION: ClinicalTrials.gov

To request a demo of FarrSight®: concr.co/FarrSight

To learn more about Concr’s technology: concr.co/technology