Medicision reaches deal to provide avatar-driven precision cancer treatment

Sydney-based healthcare company Medicision has announced a new partnership allowing Australian cancer patients access to biotechnology that tailors treatments to the unique genetic complexity of their tumour network.

Medicision has entered into an agreement with London-headquartered My Personal Therapeutics, which will harness the most advanced personalised cancer therapeutics, based on technology pioneered at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

The technology known as the Personal Discovery Process (PDP) gathers data on an individual's cancer, and the sequenced DNA is then used on thousands of fruit flies to devise the optimal treatment based on the options available.

"It is effectively a massive clinical trial for a single patient," explains My Personal Therapeutics founder Dr Laura Towart.

"We engineer the genetic complexity of each patient's unique tumour network into an army of 400,000 "avatars". 

"Using robotics, we evaluate up to 2,000 FDA approved drugs including non-cancer drugs, to identify drug combinations that are efficacious in the individual's avatar population."

The partnership will see cancer patients across Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China connected via their treating oncologist with My Personal Therapeutics, while Medicision will assist in educating clinicians and patients as to the potentially life-saving advanced cancer therapeutics available.

Medicision, which was co-founded by Dr Josh Chou (pictured left) and Associate Professor Steven Bernardi (pictured right), will support patients throughout the process, connecting them with pioneering healthcare both locally and internationally.

"The ability to help save lives by linking patients and clinicians with cutting edge biotechnology not readily available in Australia, is why we started Medicision in the first place," says Bernardi.

"It is about providing people with more treatment options beyond what is readily available locally. We are also very excited about our ability to assist in advancing ongoing research in cancer treatments through this collaboration agreement."

"I am delighted that Australians are going to be able to access this advanced technology through our tremendous new partnership. Mt Sinai's developments in precision medicine are legendary and it's great to see Australia at the head of the line," adds Dr Towart.

An estimated 150,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia this year, representing a rise of 5,000 from 2019.

One in two Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia - almost 50,000 deaths from cancer were estimated for 2019.

Thie story is written in partnership with Medicision.

Business News Australia