Takeda and M2Gen announce cancer-focused health informatics project

Takeda has announced a new collaboration with M2Gen to utilise health informatics techniques to accelerate the development and discovery of new cancer therapies.

The companies will work together to build up the existing Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) Avatar Research Program, which is based on the Total Cancer Care Protocol, a study designed to generate data on patients with various cancers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda will gain access to anonymised information generated by the ORIEN Avatar Program through its network of 12 participating cancer centres.

Patients who consent to participate in the protocol agree to be followed throughout their lifetime, generating rich clinical and molecular data that could aid the development of novel cancer treatments and strategies.

Phil Rowlands, interim head of oncology at Takeda, said: "Our innovative partnership with M2Gen has the potential to enable us to more quickly and precisely enroll patients at sites with a strong commitment to high-quality translational medicine."

This builds upon the existing collaborative relationship between Takeda and M2Gen, which previously partnered in 2014 to identify patients for several phase II studies in gastric and pancreatic cancer.