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Dr. Richard Stratford and Dr. Trevor Clancy, founders of OncoImmunity

Norwegian AI-based cancer research gets a boost

The Japanese tech giant NEC Corporation has acquired OncoImmunity AS, a Norwegian bioinformatics company that develops machine learning software to fight cancer.

This week, Oslo Cancer Cluster member OncoImmunity AS was bought by the Japanese IT and network company NEC Corporation. The company is now a subsidiary of NEC and operates under the name of NEC OncoImmunity AS. NEC has recently launched an artificial intelligence driven drug discovery business and stated in a press release that NEC OncoImmunity AS will be integral in developing NEC’s immunotherapy pipeline.

 

AI meets precision medicine

One of the great challenges when treating cancer today is to identify the right treatment for the right patient. Each cancer tumour is unique, and every patient has their own biological markers. So, how can doctors predict which therapy will work on which patient?

NEC OncoImmunity AS develops software to identify neoantigen targets for truly personalized cancer vaccines, cell therapies and optimal patient selection for cancer immunotherapy clinical trials. Neoantigen targets are parts of a protein that are unique to a patient’s specific tumor, and can be presented by the tumor to trigger the patient’s immune system to attack and potentially eradicate the tumor.

“The exciting field of personalized medicine is moving fast and becoming increasingly competitive. The synergy with NEC Corporation will allow us to make our technology even more accurate and competitive, as we can leverage NEC’s expertise in AI and software development and enable OI to deploy our technology on scale in the clinic due to their expertise in networks and cyber security,” said Dr. Trevor Clancy, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder.

“This acquisition gives us the opportunity to be a world leading player in this field and serve our Norwegian and international clients with improved and secure prediction technology in the medium to long term,” said Dr. Richard Stratford, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder.

 

The rise to success

OncoImmunity was founded in 2014 and has been a member of Oslo Cancer Cluster since the early days of the start up. The co-founders Dr. Trevor Clancy and Dr. Richard Stratford said the cluster has been instrumental to their success and thanks the team for their advice and support from the very beginning of their journey:

“It is crucial with a technology like ours that we interact with commercial companies active in drug development, research, clinical projects, investors and other partners. Oslo Cancer Cluster is the perfect ecosystem in that regard as it provides the company with the networking and partnering opportunities that in effect support our science, technological and commercial developments.”

Mr. Anders Tuv, Investment Director of Radforsk, has been responsible for managing the sales process in relation to the Japanese group NEC Corporation on behalf of the shareholders. The shareholders are happy with the transaction and the value creation that was realised through it. Mr. Tuv commented:

“It is a huge recognition that such a global player as NEC sees the value of the product and expertise that have been developed in OncoImmunity AS and buys the company to strengthen their own investments in and development of AI-driven cancer treatment. It is also a recognition of what Norway is achieving in the field of cancer research, and it shows that Radforsk has what it takes to develop early-phase companies into significant global positions within the digital/AI-driven part of the industry. We believe that NEC will be a good owner going forward, and we wish the enterprise the very best in its future development.”

 

Medicine is becoming digital

NEC OncoImmunity AS is now positioned to become a front runner in the design of personalized immunotherapy driven by artificial intelligence. Dr. Trevor Clancy said that NEC and OncoImmunity share the common vision that medicine is becoming increasingly digital and that AI will play a key role in shaping future drug development:

“Both organizations believe strongly that personalized cancer immunotherapy will bring curative power to cancer patients, and this commitment from NEC is highlighted by the recent launch of their drug discovery business. The acquisition now means that both companies can execute on their vision and be a powerful force internationally to deliver true personalized medicine driven by AI.”

 

For more information, please visit the official websites of NEC Corporations and NEC OncoImmunity AS 

 

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The Cell Lab at SINTEF. Photo: Thor Nielsen / SINTEF

SINTEF to develop methods in immuno-oncology

SINTEF and Catapult Life Science are looking for new partners to develop methodology for cancer immunotherapy.

“We want to develop methods within immunotherapy, because this is currently the most successful strategy for improving cancer treatments and one of the main directions in modern medicine,” says Einar Sulheim, Research Scientist at SINTEF.

The Norwegian research organization SINTEF is an Oslo Cancer Cluster member with extensive knowledge in characterisation, analysis, drug discovery and development of conventional drugs.

The new project on methodology for cancer immunotherapy recently started in April 2019 and is a collaboration with Catapult Life Science, a new Oslo Cancer Cluster member. The aim is to help academic groups and companies develop their immunotherapy drug candidates and ideas.

Help cancer patients

Ultimately, the main aim is of course that the project will benefit cancer patients. Immunotherapy has shown to both increase life expectancy and create long term survivors in patient groups with very poor prognosis.

“We hope that this project can help streamline the development and production of immunotherapeutic drugs and help cancer patients by helping drug candidates through the stages before clinical trials.” Einar Sulheim, Research Scientist at SINTEF

 

Develop methodology

The project is a SINTEF initiative spending NOK 12,5 million from 2019 to 2023. SINTEF wants to develop methodology and adapt technology in high throughput screening to help develop products for cancer immunotherapy. This will include in vitro high throughput screening of drug effect in both primary cells and cell lines, animal models, pathology, and production of therapeutic cells and antibodies.

 

High throughput screening is the use of robotic liquid handling systems (automatic pipettes) to perform experiments. This makes it possible not only to handle small volumes and sample sizes with precision, but also to run wide screens with thousands of wells where drug combinations and concentrations can be tested in a variety of cells.

 

The Cell Lab at SINTEF. Photo: Thor Nielsen / SINTEF

The Cell Lab at SINTEF. Photo: Thor Nielsen / SINTEF

 

Bridging the gap

Catapult Life Science is a centre established to bridge the gap between the lab and the industry by providing infrastructure, equipment and expertise for product development and industrialisation in Norway. Their aim is to stimulate growth in the Norwegian economy by enabling a profitable health industry.

“In this project, our role will be to assess the industrial relevance of the new technologies developed, for instance by evaluating analytical methods used for various phases of drug development.” Astrid Hilde Myrset, CEO Catapult Life Science

A new product could for example be produced for testing in clinical studies according to regulatory requirements at Catapult, once the centre achieves its manufacturing license next year.

“If a new method is intended for use in quality control of a new regulatory drug, Catapult’s role can be to validate the method according to the regulatory requirements” Myrset adds. 

SINTEF and Catapult Life Science are now looking for partners.

Looking for new partners

Einar Sulheim sums up the ideal partners for this project:

“We are interested in partners developing cancer immunotherapies that see challenges in their experimental setups in terms of magnitude, standardization or facilities. Through this project, SINTEF can contribute with internal funding to develop methods that suit their purpose.”

 

Interested in this project?

Radforsk to invest NOK 4.5 million in cancer research

Radforsk, the Radium Hospital Research Foundation, a partner of Oslo Cancer Cluster, is awarding several million Norwegian kroner to new research that fights cancer with light.

Radforsk is an evergreen investor focusing on companies that develop cancer treatment. Since its inception in 1986, Radforsk has allocated NOK 200 million of its profit back into cancer research at Oslo University Hospital. This year, four researchers will be awarded a total of NOK 4.5 million. One of them is Anette Weyergang, who will receive NOK 3.75 million over a three-year period.

“I’m so happy for this grant. As researchers, we have to find funding for our own projects. I didn’t have any funding for the project I have now applied and been granted funds for,” says Anette Weyergang.

Anette Weyergang is a project group manager and senior researcher in a research group led by Kristian Berg. The group conducts research in the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photochemical internalisation (PCI). Radforsk’s portfolio company and Oslo Cancer Cluster member PCI Biotech is based on this group’s research.

What is PDT / PCI? Cancer research in the field of photodynamic therapy and photochemical internalisation studies the use of light in direct cancer treatment in combination with drugs, or to deliver drugs that can treat cancer cells or organs affected by cancer.

 

Weyergang is the first researcher ever to receive several million kroner over the course of several years from Radforsk.

“We have donated a total of NOK 200 million to cancer research at Oslo University Hospital, of which NOK 25 million have gone to research in PDT/PCI. We have previously awarded smaller amounts to several researchers, but we now want to use some of our funds to focus on projects we believe in,” says Jónas Einarsson, CEO of Radforsk.

By the deadline on 15 February 2019, Radforsk received a total of eight applications, which were then assessed by external experts.

 

New use of PCI technology

PCI is a technology for delivering drugs and other molecules into the cancer cells and then releasing them by means of light. This allows for a targeted cancer treatment with fewer side effects for patients.

Weyergang will use the funds from Radforsk to research whether PCI technology can be used to make targeted cancer treatment even more precise.

“The project aims to find a method for delivering antibodies to cancer cells using PCI technology. This has never been done before, and if we succeed, it can open up brand new possibilities for using this technology,” says Weyergang.

Initially, she will focus on glioblastoma, which is the most serious form of brain cancer. Glioblastoma is resistant to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and has a very high mortality rate.

“This is translational research, so human trials are still a long way off. We will now use both glioblastoma cell lines and animal experimentation to test our hypothesis. We do this to establish what is called a “proof of concept”, which we need to move on to clinical testing,” says Weyergang.

 

The other researchers who have received funding for PDT/PCI research from Radforsk in 2019 are:

  • Kristian Berg and Henry Hirschberg Beckman: NOK 207,500
  • Qian Peng: NOK 300,000
  • Mpuldy Sioud: NOK 300,000

 

What is Radforsk?

  • Since its formation in 1986, Radforsk has generated NOK 600 million in fund assets and channelled NOK 200 million to cancer research, based on a loan of NOK 1 million in equity back in 1986.
  • During this period, NOK 200 million have found its way back to the researchers whose ideas Radforsk has helped to commercialise.
  • NOK 25 million have gone to research in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photochemical internalisation (PCI). In total, NOK 40 million will be awarded to this research.

 

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The students in the picture are Jacques Li, a doctor and entrepreneur from France; Diana Murguia Barrios, an economist and political scientist from Spain; Jason Yip, a chemistry engineer from England; and Sam Chong, a lawyer and economist from Malaysia and Australia.

Should Norway implement a clinical trial league table?

We asked four MBA students from Cambridge University to evaluate how patient recruitment practices in Norway can be improved.

The number of clinical trials in Norway has been declining over the last few years. There are many reasons behind this trend, but until now there have been few concrete solutions. With the number of cancer patients on the rise, there is a growing need for access to better treatments.

Oslo Cancer Cluster asked four students from Judge Business School at Cambridge University to research how the number of clinical trials in Norway can be improved. The students were Jacques Li, a doctor and entrepreneur from France; Diana Murguia Barrios, an economist and political scientist from Spain; Jason Yip, a chemistry engineer from England; and Sam Chong, a lawyer and economist from Malaysia and Australia.

“The number of clinical trials in Norway is less than half of the number in Denmark.”

The group focused on one of three factors that influence the number of clinical trials in Norway, namely: the patient recruitment practices. After a comparative analysis with other European countries, they came up with two main recommendations on how Norway can improve patient recruitment.

 

Image och doctors and nurses walking in corridor

How do we motivate hospitals and doctors to recruit more patients to clinical trials?

 

One: Motivating hospitals

The group compared patient recruitment in Norway to France, United Kingdom and USA. Norway was the only country where hospitals don’t have any non-financial incentives to recruit patients to clinical trials. If a hospital’s reputation could be improved in a concrete way by having clinical trials, patient recruitment could also be improved.

The group proposed to create a league table for all hospitals, with cancer trial participation as one of the metrics. This would create competition between hospitals, encourage collaboration between smaller hospitals and larger ones, and make information about clinical trials accessible to patients.

If hospitals were ranked against each other based on clinical trial output, they would more actively recruit into trials due to the reputational incentive.” 

The group also uncovered a misalignment between the funding source and the implementers of the clinical trials. Funding is passed from the Norwegian Health Ministry to the regional health authorities, instead of directly to the hospitals who conduct the trials. The group recommended that the hospitals need direct financial incentives to conduct the trials.

“Regional health authorities in Norway need to ensure that funding provided to them for research is passed down to the hospitals conducting clinical trials.” 

 

Two people holding hands.

How do we raise awareness among patients and doctors about clinical trial participation?

 

Two: Raising awareness

A second discovery in the report was the lack of awareness about clinical trials among both patients and doctors. Patients in Norway lack access to relevant information that would empower them to opt into clinical trials. There was similarly a lack of exposure to clinical trials among early career doctors and a lack of initiatives to collaborate on clinical trials among advanced career doctors.

“Raising awareness among stakeholders is key to improve clinical trial recruitment.” 

The students suggested working in partnership with patient organisations to raise awareness among patients. They recommended a national awareness campaign to inform where patients can find up-to-date information about clinical trials. All hospitals could keep lists of their ongoing clinical trials available on their websites.

If patients knew the benefits of clinical research, they would select a hospital that is ranked highly.” 

The group also provided recommendations to raise awareness among doctors to work on clinical trials. Rotational programs and supplementary courses on research methods and clinical trials may spark interest among medical students to pursue work in clinical trials. Seminars and workshops can help to both raise awareness and inspire collaborative efforts among doctors in their advanced careers.

 

Oslo Cancer Cluster wishes to extend a big thank you to everyone who agreed to be interviewed for this research project:

  • Ali Areffard, Medical team, Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Øyvind Arnesen, Chairman of the Board, Oslo Cancer Cluster
  • Siri Kolle, Vice President Clinical, Inven2
  • Jónas Einarsson, former Chairman of the Board of Oslo Cancer Cluster and one of the founders of Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park
  • Maiken Engelstad, Deputy Director, Ministry of Health and Care Services
  • Katrine Bryne, Senior Advisor, Legemiddelindustrien (LMI)
  • Kristin Bjordal, Business Manager for Research Support and Research Manager in Oslo Hospital Service (OSS) and Chairman of the Board of NorCrin
  • Ida Kommandtvoll, Advisor, Department of Strategy and Analysis, The Norwegian Cancer Society
  • Knut Martin Torgersen and medical team, Merck
  • Steinar Aamdal, the founder of The Clinical Trial Department, Oslo University Hospital

 

View and download the following PDF of the Cambridge report to learn more.
Note: This is a short version of the report, the fuller version also includes an Appendix containing detailed information about all the underlying data and interview material. Please get in touch with Communications Adviser Sofia Lindén if you are interested in reading the full Appendix.

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