With innovative diagnostics and networked data for optimal cancer therapy
21.01.2021 10:05
There are often worlds between what could be possible today and what is actually possible. This is particularly true in the field of medicine. Above all, an improvement in networking within medicine offers great opportunities to translate innovative therapy concepts into reality more quickly. Against this background, university research and the pharmaceutical industry have joined forces to form a new partnership. The goal: to enable cancer patients to receive the most personalized therapy possible by building a networked data infrastructure.
A new collaboration has started between the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich Hospital and Roche in Grenzach-Wyhlen, southern Baden, with a focus on clinical genomic data. Specifically, it is a kind of digital library. Instead of books, you can find anonymized information there, for example about the course of treatment or certain gene changes (mutations) and their influence on the development of cancer and the effectiveness of a therapy. This is artificially generated data that was created using algorithms, cannot be traced back to the individual patient and is used as test data.
“The aim is that in the future, LMU doctors will be able to see how other patients with the same mutation have reacted to a drug and thus choose the most effective and least stressful treatment for each individual.”, explains Dr. Doris Schwindt, National Portfolio Manager, Roche Pharma AG. “With the help of such data collections, medicine becomes a self-learning system. We can learn from these treatment results for the future treatments of other patients.”
Anchor molecular genetic testing in standard care
A basic prerequisite for access to the best possible therapy is testing for corresponding gene mutations. “We now know that there are numerous genes that, in altered form, promote the formation of tumors. However, there is no single therapy that works against all gene changes. “We therefore first have to find out what type of mutation is present in order to be able to choose the appropriate therapy.”, explains Dr. Benedikt Westphalen, who heads the precision oncology department at the CCC Munich LMU. However, to date, molecular genetic testing is not routinely carried out on every cancer patient. One goal of the project between the two cooperation partners is therefore to establish innovative diagnostics more firmly in standard care.
Research progress through networked data
In addition, according to the company, the data could also act as a research accelerator. “By combining and collecting the data over the entire course of therapy with the actual treatment results, the university partner can see how therapies work in everyday care. This is not always possible in strictly regulated clinical studies.”says Dr. Katja Janssen, who leads and coordinates the project at Roche Pharma AG. “These observations can provide an impetus for research into new, even better active ingredients or ensure that clinical care is made more effective.”. In order to guarantee data security, a synthetic data set is created; The medical data will be anonymized so that it will no longer be possible to draw conclusions about the patient. This does not reduce its value for research, doctors or patients, as findings from the synthetic data set are made usable within the LMU and thus also benefit real patients.
Join forces in the fight against cancer
“In order to be able to provide patients with even better care in the future, it is necessary to pursue new, innovative paths. The cooperation between the private and public sectors enables us to pool strengths and mutual expertise and use them in the interests of our patients,” said Dr. Benedict Westphalia.