XenTech signs strategic collaboration agreement with Gustave Roussy Cancer Center

Evry, France, March 27, 2019 – XenTech SAS, a company specialized in the development and sale of preclinical research services to foster the development of oncology drugs, today announces a strategic collaboration with Gustave Roussy, Europe’s leading cancer center. This co-operation, the first of its kind for XenTech, will focus on the development of a collection of tumor explant models from patients who developed acquired resistance to targeted therapies following initial response. These PDX models will be used in Gustave Roussy’s oncology R&D programs, as well as being added to XenTech’s existing PDX platform for translational oncology research projects for academic and industry customers.

Patients with tumors that harbor specific driver molecular alterations benefit from targeted therapies, but responses are generally short-lived due to the emergence of adaptive/secondary resistance. Between 2015 and 2020 the MATCH-R trial led by Gustave Roussy (NCT02517892) will have enrolled 600 patients treated with targeted therapies. Biopsies will be used to generate PDX models, obtained from 300 patients who have developed resistance following initial response. The MATCH-R PDX platform will be regularly upgraded with new models, providing a unique resource in unravelling the mechanisms involved in acquired resistance to targeted therapies and testing novel therapeutic strategies to circumvent or delay the emergence of resistance.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Gustave Roussy on this unique and ambitious program,” said Jean-Gabriel Judde, CSO and president of XenTech. “These new models will expand XenTech’s bank of PDX models with focus on the advanced drug-resistant setting. The MATCH-R PDX platform will enable a better understanding of acquired resistance to last-generation targeted therapies, providing clinically relevant models to perform preclinical POC studies, translating into increased patient survival.Full clinical and molecular annotation will enable model selection for testing innovative therapies, investigating new and existing pathways, and identifying biomarkers.”

“Understanding the mechanisms of acquired resistance to novel targeting agents is crucial in providing optimal care to cancer patients,” said Benjamin Besse, head of the department of medical oncology at Gustave Roussy and principal investigator of the MATCH-R clinical trial. “This strategic collaboration with XenTech, a renowned expert in PDX development and in vivo pharmacological studies, is a major asset for Gustave Roussy’s precision medicine program. There is no doubt that these clinically relevant models will speed-up the development of novel therapeutic agents leading to extended clinical benefit for metastatic cancer patients.”

XenTech will participate in American Association Cancer Research Annual Meeting, Friday, March 29 – Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in Atlanta, GA.

About Gustave Roussy

Gustave Roussy, the leading cancer center in Europe, is a comprehensive hub of expertise in oncology, entirely devoted to patients. It employs 3,100 professional staff engaged in patient care, research and teaching.

www.gustaveroussy.fr

About XenTech

XenTech SAS is a Contract Research Organization specialized in the development of preclinical solutions and services to foster the development and use of oncology drugs. The company’s technology platform is based upon the implantation and immortalization of primary human tumors in immune-deficient mice to create patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) models that preserve the biological characteristics of the original human tumor. This determines the efficacy of a treatment regimen. This technology offers a powerful preclinical platform with which pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking personalized approaches to drug development can lower the cost and increase the speed of developing new drugs.

Founded in 2006, XenTech is a spin-off of Institut Curie, France’s largest cancer research institute. It employs 32 people.

www.xentech.eu