Parexel, NeoGenomics unite to improve and accelerate clinical trials with real-world genomics data
Better matching, better trials
Parexel and NeoGenomics, Inc. have entered into a strategic partnership to advance the application of precision medicine in oncology clinical trials. It will utilize real-world genomics data to offer quciker patient matching and better trial design, site selection, clinical development and translational research. The partnership, which will support biopharmaceutical customers in making more educated decisions on clinical trial design, companion diagnostics and drug repurposing. might expand to include lab services and biomarker capabilities.
Douglas VanOort, NeoGenomics' chairman and CEO, hopes the collaboration will “provide our robust genomic and clinical database to help match cancer patients to clinical trials and therapies that are precisely targeted to their unique tumor types and genomic biomarkers. We look forward to our strategic partnership and future opportunities to broaden our relationship based on customer needs in the oncology space."
NeoGenomics specializes in cancer genetics testing and information services, offering comprehensive oncology-focused testing menus. Parexel will contribute real-world data in numerous applications, such as identifying and estimating prevalence of genomic mutations within respective populations, genomic patterning to stratify patients according to novel biomarkers and use of non-identified patient data to precisely target patient populations. These attributes will help with clinical trials and patient matching, leading to quicker enrollment.
According to Dr. Sy Pretorius, Parexel’s president of Clinical Development and chief medical officer, "Parexel's partnership with NeoGenomics provides access to greater predictive modeling capabilities so that we can rapidly identify specific patients and connect them to clinical trials that provide them with the best potential for treatment, advance our understanding of their disease and identify the drug's effects and potential benefits. This collaboration supports our efforts to adopt more novel approaches in the identification of data populations for oncology studies while keeping the patient at the center of everything we do."
Parexel has also announced a strategic collaboration last month with Signify Health to provide new solutions to customers to access a more diverse and traditionally underserved population for clinical trials. The objective is to improve patient access to clinical trials, provide studies to patients in their own homes and identify social determinants of health to bridge the gaps between patients, caregivers, and local resources. The first pilot program will begin during the first half of the year. The World Health Organization considers social determinants of health as the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.
According to Parexel, “Issues such as limited availability for assessment tests, limited mobility, and lack of reliable dependent care are examples of the social factors that can make participating in a clinical trial difficult for a patient and the caregiver they rely upon. The collaboration between Parexel and Signify Health is intended to penetrate these barriers to entry. Simply saying clinical trial diversity is ‘important’ is not enough. To correct the disparities in healthcare and drive more inclusion in clinical trials, we first must achieve a more holistic understanding of the non-medical factors that influence patient lives. Signify Health’s analytics and technology platform will enable us to use these insights to better understand the social and societal factors impacting inclusion—a key requirement to ensuring diversity in clinical trials.”