SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Crown Bioscience Inc. is expanding its translational oncology services with the acquisition of Molecular Response’s PDX models and PDX service operations. The acquisition includes all of Molecular Response’s existing PDX models as well as 8,000 viable human tumors for model development from its tumor bank of more than 140,000 unique cryopreserved tumor samples, with the ability to select and develop other models from the wider collection. Each tumor is supported by a companion molecular biobank as well as a suite of curated patient and sample data. Moving forward, Molecular Response’s facilities and personnel in San Diego will be designated as a global center of excellence for translational oncology, complementing Crown's existing operations in Beijing, Shanghai, Kannapolis, North Carolina and the United Kingdom.
“This acquisition represents the next step in Crown’s strategy to be the dominant provider of translational oncology drug discovery services,” Jean-Pierre Wery, president of Crown Bioscience, noted in a press release. “Crown’s unique, clinically relevant models reflect the patient situation for each aspect of cancer progression, encompassing pre-cancerous lesions, primary tumors and metastasis, as well as being ethnically diverse and representing both treated and drug-naïve patients. Our clients are now in a position to access a unique resource of relevant models containing clinically proven molecular markers present in global populations. Our ability to run hundreds of models in parallel enables our clients to complete avatar trials in months rather than years to determine the genetic signature of responders versus non-responders. Our clients can then make better informed decisions regarding the selection of patients and the design of clinical trials to ultimately reduce the attrition of compounds in the clinic.”
With the addition of the acquired library and ability to develop more models from the tumor bank, Crown Bioscience will have the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of patient-derived models, featuring tumor models from the United States, Europe and Asia that represent a variety of cancer types and stages from both treated and treatment-naive patients.
“We are extremely pleased with the acquisition of our PDX services by Crown Bioscience. We see both companies’ assets as highly complementary, and Crown’s leadership in providing high-quality Oncology Drug Discovery services will be significantly enhanced with the addition of Molecular Response’s assets,” said Cyrus Mirsaidi, CEO of Molecular Response. “Our combined resources will serve to strengthen our joint ability to address translational challenges and the assessment of compound efficacy earlier in the life cycle of our clients’ programs. Access to Molecular Response’s unparalleled U.S. human tissue bank will provide Crown with thousands of clinically relevant models for oncology drug discovery, further enhancing its unparalleled suite of services for its clients, while the San Diego in-vivo team continues to provide exceptional in-vivo pharmacology services and mouse clinical trial strategies to existing and future clients.”
SOURCE: Crown Bioscience press release
