MEDiC Life Sciences Enters into Collaboration with Hanmi Pharmaceutical for Cancer Biomarker Research and Investment
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
MEDiC Life Sciences has announced a research collaboration with Hanmi Pharmaceutical.
The MCAT™ platform, MEDiC's next-generation functional genomics system, is designed to measure millions of gene-drug interactions between cancer therapies and genetic mutations. By using this platform, MEDiC identifies SLS™ biomarkers, which are multiple genetic mutations that show synthetic lethality with a specific cancer drug.
The partnership will see MEDiC use its MCAT™ platform to identify cancer biomarkers for one of Hanmi’s clinical assets.
This approach enhances response rates in patients whose cancers carry any of these mutations. Additionally, the platform can extend the market potential of cancer drugs by identifying multiple biomarkers that collectively have a higher prevalence in the patient population.
The agreement includes upfront payments to MEDiC for the research collaboration, alongside a strategic investment from Hanmi Pharmaceutical. This partnership aims to strengthen the development of Hanmi’s cancer drugs by improving the likelihood of success in clinical trials.
MEDiC's proprietary functional genomics platform employs patient-derived 3D tumor models to identify ideal gene targets and biomarkers for cancer treatments.
While functional genomics techniques have been widely used for cancer gene screening, MEDiC's use of 3D models over traditional 2D cultures is said to improve the precision and applicability of these findings.
This technology has already attracted notable partners, including Bristol Myers Squibb and Hanmi Pharmaceutical, in search of new cancer drug targets and biomarkers.
Source: businesswire.com
