Innovative collaborations driving advancements in the precision medicine market
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Precision medicine is a rapidly growing field characterized by innovative collaborations among various factions in the fields of medicine, healthcare, technology, academia, and government. It is considered a mainstream approach, particularly in cancer research and diagnosis, with numerous pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies embracing it. Recent advancements in IT technologies and multi-omics, combined with real-world data, have given rise to new capabilities that enable the exceptional analysis of vast amounts of data.
- In 2017, Kite Pharma was acquired by Gilead Sciences for $11.9 billion. Kite Pharma was focused on developing CAR-T cell therapies for cancer patients.
- In 2018, Thermo Fisher Scientific acquired IntegenX, a company that develops sample preparation systems for DNA sequencing and analysis, for $85 million.
- In 2019, Roche acquired Promedior, a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for fibrosis, for $390 million upfront and up to $1 billion in milestone payments.
- In 2020, Illumina announced that it was acquiring GRAIL, a company focused on developing a blood test for early cancer detection, for $8 billion.
- In 2021, Novartis announced a $150 million investment in a new precision medicine facility in Switzerland. The facility will focus on developing and manufacturing CAR-T cell therapies for cancer patients.
These are just a few examples of financial deals in the precision medicine field in the past. Many more deals are happening all the time as companies seek to invest in this growing and exciting area of healthcare.
- AstraZeneca has signed a collaboration agreement with Scorpion Therapeutics to discover, develop and commercialize precision medicines against previously hard-to-target cancer proteins, with the potential to transform oncology treatment. The collaboration will focus on a class of proteins called transcription factors, which have long been identified as important targets for new cancer treatments. To overcome the challenges of targeting transcription factors and reaching underserved patient populations, Scorpion's fully integrated discovery platform will be combined with AstraZeneca's leadership in developing and commercializing precision medicines.
- Furthermore, precision medicine research has been supported with a $22 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and Three Lakes Partners, a philanthropic family organization, for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) has also launched a study called PRECISIONS, supported by the same grant. It aims to transform the diagnosis and treatment of IPF by moving it into the era of precision medicine.
- However, according to the precision medicine market research deal database, the number of deals related to precision and personalized medicine decreased significantly in 2021 marking an increased growth afterward. In January, 2022 Pfizer and Beam Therapeutics entered into a four-year collaboration focused on generating precision medicine for rare diseases of the liver, muscle, and central nervous system using in vivo base editing programs.
- Athos Therapeutics has also announced its plans for a research collaboration with Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, for precision medicine in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Athos will conduct multi-omic molecular and genetic analyses using deidentified IBD patient samples.
- GSK plc and Tempus, a US-based precision medicine company, have also entered into a three-year collaboration agreement providing GSK with access to Tempus' AI-enabled platform, including its library of de-identified patient data. GSK will work together with Tempus to improve clinical trial design, speed up enrollment and identify drug targets using its leading Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capability. This collaboration will contribute to GSK's R&D success rate and provide patients with more personalized treatment faster.
BioIntel360 believes that precision medicine is advancing rapidly and characterized by unconventional and novel collaborations that have resulted in numerous developments and advancements in diagnosis and treatment. These collaborations are set to revolutionize healthcare drugs or products and improve the battle against fatal and debilitating illnesses such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and a host of currently undefined and underserved pathologies.