Presage Biosciences extends research collaboration with Takeda to discover novel cancer drug combinations

The agreement provides Takeda access to Presage’s proprietary CIVO technology platform to enable identification of novel oncology drug combinations in solid tumours.

The agreement provides Takeda access to Presage’s proprietary CIVO technology platform to enable identification of novel oncology drug combinations in solid tumours. Under the agreement, Presage and Takeda will screen a broad array of drug combinations and preclinical models to discover novel combinations and generate data to support clinical decision-making on Takeda’s pipeline agents. The agreement includes development and regulatory milestones related to identification of successful novel drug combinations.

“We are pleased to extend our collaboration with Presage and utilize their technology platform to more rapidly understand the impact of drug combinations directly on tumours,” said Christopher Claiborne, Head of the Oncology Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda. “Takeda prides itself on creating novel medicines for patients, and having a committed partner like Presage enables us to continue fulfilling our mission of aspiring to cure cancer.”

“It is deeply rewarding to continue our collaboration with Takeda,” said Richard Klinghoffer, Chief Scientific Officer of Presage. “Together, the teams at Presage and Takeda are employing the unique potential of Presage’s CIVO arrayed micro-injection technology to identify novel drug combinations that will hopefully improve the lives of patients with cancer.”

CIVO technology is currently being used preclinically to identify effective combinations of drugs. By assessing several combinations in a single living tumour, the CIVO™ platform is able to characterize and directly compare the influence of multiple biophysical factors such as immune infiltrate, stromal barrier and hypoxia on the tumour response.