Champions Oncology

Champions Oncology is an American technology company that develops mouse avatars. Called TumorGrafts, they are used to test a panel of chemotherapy regimens, targeted therapies and monoclonal antibodies to identify potential therapeutic options for cancer patients. The company was founded in 2007 by David Sidransky, M.D.,[1] a Johns Hopkins oncologist that was named by TIME as one of the top physicians and scientists in the United States in 2001.[2]

Champions Oncology
NASDAQ: CSBR
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TumorGrafts

Champions TumorGrafts maintain the microenvironment surrounding the tumor and have been shown to have high correlation to the patient’s tumor. Due to this close resemblance to the human tumor, TumorGrafts are highly predictive of treatment outcomes in patients. Studies have shown the mouse avatars predict clinical benefit in 80% of patients.[3][4] Approximately 450 TumorGrafts have been established as of April 2014.[5]

TumorGrafts are also being used as a pre-clinical research tool to improve clinical drug development. Compared to traditional xenograft models, TumorGrafts, have a greater degree of accuracy in predicting clinical effectiveness of oncology drugs and thus can decrease clinical risk for drug developers. Champions has formed partnerships with multiple drug developers, including Teva [6] and Pfizer.[7]

The process

When a cancer patient undergoes surgery or biopsy, a living sample of the tumor is obtained and implanted into the mouse,[8] creating a mouse avatar. Once the TumorGraft has successfully grown, the tumor is then propagated in a second generation of mice and tested against a panel of cancer drugs and drug combinations to help identify more accurately which treatment regimen is likely to be most effective in a specific patient.[9] In this way, various drugs are tested on a live sample of the actual patient's tumor, rather than on the patient.[10] This reduces the likelihood of treatment with ineffective drugs and their associated side effects, and it increases the likelihood of finding a treatment that will work against the patient's tumor. For patients whose tumors have also undergone molecular testing, such as next-generation sequencing, the selection of potential drugs is further guided by any and all applicable results. In the event the cancer progresses or recurs, Champions also banks, or stores, each successful TumorGraft for potential future patient use.

References
  1. Kling, Jim (1 September 2009). "Champions Biotechnology Inc". Start-Up. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  2. Park, Alice (20 August 2001). "Oncology: Cancer Spotter". TIME. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  3. Stebbing, J; Paz, K.; Schwartz, G. K.; Wexler, L. H.; Maki, R.; Pollock, R. E.; Morris, R.; Cohen, R.; Shankar, A.; Blackman, G.; Harding, V.; Vasquez, D.; Krell, J.; Ciznadija, D.; Katz, A.; Sidransky, D. (4 April 2014). "Patient-derived xenografts for individualized care in advanced sarcoma". Cancer. 120 (13): 2006–2015. doi:10.1002/cncr.28696. PMC 4298787. PMID 24705963.
  4. Hidalgo, Manuel; Bruckheimer, E.; Rajeshkumar, N.V.; Garrido-Laguna, I.; De Oliveira, E.; Rubio-Viqueira, B.; Strawn, S.; Wick, M.J.; Martell, J.; Sidransky, D. (14 June 2011). "A Pilot Clinical Study of Treatment Guided by Personalized Tumorgrafts in Patients with Advanced Cancer". Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 10 (8): 1311–6. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-11-0233. PMC 4629061. PMID 21673092. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  5. Aleccia, JoNel (29 April 2014). "Mouse Avatars Allow Cancer Patients to Test Cures". NBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  6. "Champions Oncology, Teva deal". BioCentury. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  7. Champions Oncology, Inc. "Form 8-K".
  8. Pollack, Andrew (25 September 2012). "Seeking Cures, Patients Enlist Mice Stand-Ins". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  9. Tozzi, John (13 February 2014). "Mouse Avatars for Testing Chemotherapy Drugs". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  10. Biba, Erin (June 12, 2014). "The Perfect Drug". Newsweek. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
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