HACKENSACK, N.J., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Champions
Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSBR), a company engaged in the development
and sale of advanced technology solutions and products to
personalize the development and use of oncology drugs, today
announced the signing of a competitive contract through the
government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The
contract is in response to Topic 355 – Cell and Animal-Based Models
to Advance Cancer Ethnic Health Disparity Research. Champions'
direct-to-Phase II proposal, entitled "Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Patient Derived Xenograft Modeling; A New Operating Paradigm". The
contract is a 2-year, $2 million
project. Champions' network of collaborating sites will
contribute to this project.
The project will build and study an ethnically diverse cohort of
metastatic prostate patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models.
Fully characterized, ethnically diverse prostate PDX models are
under-represented among PDX banks, limiting opportunities for
pre-clinical and translational oncology studies. Not only is
the incidence of prostate cancer higher in African American men
than other ethnic groups, the mortality rates from prostate cancer
for African American men are higher. A primary goal of this
project is to create new tools to better understand the ethnic
health disparity in prostate cancer.
The project will leverage Champions' current quality management
strategies for industrial scale PDX development and incorporate
novel approaches and techniques to efficiently build and study new
prostate PDX models. Champions has partnered with
InnoGenomics, a molecular diagnostics technology innovator, to
apply their proprietary, high-sensitivity liquid biopsy techniques
to PDX models.
"We are very excited that the NCI has chosen Champions for this
SBIR award and has recognized Champions' expertise in quality
management systems for commercializing the development of these
models," said Angela Davies, MD.,
Chief Medical Officer of Champions Oncology. "This award allows us
to dramatically expand our prostate PDX program and demonstrate the
benefits of new techniques and approaches that advance the
field."
CEO Ronnie Morris added, "This
award highlights the significant opportunities we are creating for
ourselves and our partners through strategic and focused
investments in key R&D activities."
The ethnically diverse prostate PDX models will be fully
characterized and annotated. In addition to clinical,
molecular and histological characterization of each model,
standard-of-care drug testing will be performed. The models and
associated data and information will be shared with the NCI to
further research in prostate cancers.
About Champions Oncology
Champions Oncology, Inc. is engaged in the development of
advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the
development and use of oncology drugs. The company's technology
platform is a novel approach to personalizing cancer care based
upon the implantation of primary human tumors in immune-deficient
mice to create TumorGrafts that preserve the biological
characteristics of the original human tumor to determine the
efficacy of a treatment regimen. The company uses this technology
in conjunction with related services to offer solutions for two
customer groups: Personalized Oncology Solutions, in which results
help guide the development of personalized treatment plans, and
Translational Oncology Solutions, in which pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies seeking personalized approaches to drug
development can lower the cost and increase the speed of developing
new drugs. For more information, please
visit www.championsoncology.com.
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SOURCE Champions Oncology, Inc.