The collaboration with CBmed will provide Boehringer Ingelheim with the means to identify and validate biomarkers for multiple projects within its growing cancer pipeline, thereby facilitating early validation of therapeutic effects, as well as the identification of new indications and appropriate patient selection
Boehringer Ingelheim and CBmed to employ translational medicine approaches to expedite the advancement of first-in-class drugs for cancer. (Credit: Madras150/Wikimedia Commons)
Boehringer Ingelheim has forged a long-term partnership with Austria-based CBmed GmbH Center for Biomarker Research in Medicine (CBmed) with an aim to translate novel cancer therapy approaches faster into new drugs for patients.
In this connection, the partners will employ translational medicine approaches to expedite the advancement of first-in-class drugs in order to transform the lives of individuals battling cancer. This initiative aligns with Boehringer Ingelheim’s overarching aspiration to treat a variety of cancers.
CBmed is a public-private-partnership biomarker research centre which is focused on enabling applied precision medicine for patient care and cure. It has developed a multi-omics technology platform to accelerate the exploration of new biomarkers.
The platform is said to have integrated advanced capabilities in molecular pathology, cancer immunobiology, and data science with top-tier scientific and medical knowledge, along with access to extensive biobanks.
As per Boehringer Ingelheim and CBmed, precision medicine is transforming cancer care with a potential to cure more cancer types.
Yet, 97% of clinical trials targeting specific indications fail to show significant benefits for cancer patients. This failure stems from a lack of understanding of treatment mechanisms and patient suitability, said the parties.
Boehringer Ingelheim and CBmed claim that translational medicine tackles this by identifying biomarkers and comprehending disease pathology.
Boehringer Ingelheim oncology translational medicine and clinical pharmacology global head Vittoria Zinzalla said: “We are excited to join forces with CBmed’s team of translational science experts.
“This new partnership will further support our efforts to increase the success rate of our clinical development by translating research discoveries into actionable insights for the clinic. It will also enable us to further expand our pipeline to achieve our goal of transforming the lives of people living with cancer.”
The collaboration with CBmed will empower Boehringer Ingelheim to discover and verify biomarkers for various projects in its expanding cancer pipeline. This will aid in early validation of therapeutic effects, identification of new indications, and patient selection.
Ultimately, the partnership is expected to hasten the expansion of Boehringer Ingelheim’s oncology portfolio. Specific financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
CBmed chief scientific officer Thomas Pieber said: “In the partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim we will leverage our capabilities to support multiple projects across their oncology pipeline.
“We are thrilled to work with Boehringer’s scientists to achieve our vision of bringing tailored and customised game-changing therapies to individual patients.”
Last month, Boehringer Ingelheim announced a partnership with 3T Biosciences for the discovery and development of next-generation cancer immunotherapies.