Crown Bioscience Acquires Molecular Response’s Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) Business

Crown Bioscience, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Molecular Response’s PDX models and PDX service operations. The acquisition reinforces Crown’s on-going strategy to be the leading global provider of Translational Oncology services with facilities in Asia, the US and Europe.

Crown is acquiring all of Molecular Response’s existing PDX models as well as 8000 viable human tumours for model development from Molecular Response’s viable tumour bank of over 140,000 unique cryopreserved 100% US tumour samples, with the ability to further select and develop models from the wider collection. The majority of these tissues come from patients who have received prior treatment, many from metastatic tumours. Each tumour is supported by a companion molecular biobank and a suite of curated patient and sample data; the collection representing more than 76 clinical diagnoses.

With the Molecular Response PDX library acquisition and further commitment to develop thousands of additional unique PDX models from the viable tumour bank, the Crown collection will be the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of patient-derived models both clinically and ethnically diverse, deriving tumour models from Asia, the US and Europe. These models include multiple stages of cancer development, across a wide range of cancer types and are representative of both patients that are treatment naïve, as well as those who have received prior treatment. This truly unique asset provides a 360-degree view of patient relevant disease to support the oncology drug discovery process.

The Molecular Response facilities and personnel in San Diego will be designated as a global center of excellence for Translational Oncology, and will complement Crown’s existing operations in Beijing, Shanghai, Kannapolis, North Carolina and the UK, providing local expertise and support to Crown’s global clients.

“This acquisition represents the next step in Crown’s strategy to be the dominant provider of translational oncology drug discovery services,” commented Jean-Pierre Wery, President of Crown Bioscience. “Crown’s unique, clinically relevant models reflect the patient situation for each aspect of cancer progression, encompassing pre-cancerous lesions, primary tumours and metastasis, as well as being ethnically diverse and representing both treated and drug naïve patients. Our clients are now in a position to access a unique resource of relevant models containing clinically proven molecular markers present in global populations. Our ability to run hundreds of models in parallel enables our clients to complete avatar trials in months rather than years to determine the genetic signature of responders versus non-responders. Our clients can then make better informed decisions regarding the selection of patients and the design of clinical trials to ultimately reduce the attrition of compounds in the clinic.”

Cyrus Mirsaidi, CEO of Molecular Response said: “We are extremely pleased with the acquisition of our PDX services by Crown Bioscience. We see both companies’ assets as highly complementary and Crown’s leadership in providing high quality Oncology Drug Discovery services will be significantly enhanced with the addition of Molecular Response’s assets. Our combined resources will serve to strengthen our joint ability to address translational challenges and the assessment of compound efficacy earlier in the life cycle of our clients’ programmes. Access to Molecular Response’s unparalleled US human tissue bank will provide Crown with thousands of clinically relevant models for Oncology Drug Discovery further enhancing its unparalleled suite of services for its clients, while the San Diego in vivo team continues to provide exceptional in vivo pharmacology services and mouse clinical trial strategies to existing and future clients.”

This acquisition follows several recent announcements by Crown Bioscience Inc., including the opening of a new facility in Kannapolis in October 2014, the expansion of the Crown Bioscience UK facility and the appointment of a new Senior Vice President Global Strategy. The evolution of Crown’s Translational Platforms is another part of its global strategy to increase the company’s visibility as a global provider of preclinical CRO services, adding assets, local expertise and support.