Date: Sep 27, 2013 Source: (
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Pharmatech, Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC), and 25 other leading oncology practices have agreed to evaluate an innovative, rapid approach to identifying and enrolling patients in oncology clinical trials under a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The solution, Just-In-Time (JIT), is designed to address inefficiencies in the oncology drug-development process, which has failed to keep pace with increasing molecular stratification of cancers.
The evaluation represents a key collaboration between Pharmatech and the newly established Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The cutting-edge translational medicine research hub will explore the new frontier of precision medicine, offering optimal targeted, individualized treatment based on each patient's genetic profile.
Pharmatech has been using its Just-In-Time enrollment methodology since 2007. JIT has been exceedingly effective at increasing patient accrual while eliminating non-enrolling centers, shortening clinical trial timelines, and delivering increased treatment value to both patients and physicians. The focus of the Phase II NCI/SBIR trial is to commercialize the JIT methodology across a variety of research centers and to integrate molecular profiling with clinical trial treatment options for patients with rare cancers.
In academic research centers, clinical trials typically take six to 12 months to start before any patients can be enrolled. WCMC and its Institute for Precision Medicine are working under the auspices of the NCI/SBIR grant to pave the way for a new era of academic oncology clinical research by developing a research model based on rapid clinical trial startup and molecular screening. The focus of the project is to be able increase the number of available clinical trials, enroll a patient in 10-15 business days, molecularly screen patients for cancer mutations that may respond to therapies, and ultimately have a system to offer the most appropriate clinical trial treatment option for every patient.
"Together, we are committed to integrating emerging precision cancer medicine with real-time patient care through on-demand clinical trial opportunities," said Dr. Matthew Wiener, founder and chief scientific officer for Pharmatech. "Understanding the molecular drivers of cancer at the patient level and using this information to select more effective, targeted treatments is our ultimate vision."
About Pharmatech, Inc.
Pharmatech, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a Site Management Organization (SMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) with a focus on oncology clinical research. Through an organized network of cancer clinics, the Company focuses on advancing the development of products for a broad range of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and on promoting the inclusion of clinical trials in the spectrum of patient treatment options.
The project described is supported by Award Number R44CA144362 from the National Cancer Institute. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.
To learn more about JIT research, conducting JIT research at your institution, or trial sponsors interested in using JIT for clinical trial enrollment, please contact:
Eric Lynam -- Executive Director elynam@pharmatech.com (858) 357-6181
