A vital tool in current armory against cancer is the development of patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) mouse models that faithfully recapitulate cancer. These models, which VHIO develops through its preclinical research efforts, help to better understand the nuances of tumor development and shape the design of subsequent clinical studies and therapeutic strategies.
Importantly at European level, 2013 marked the launch of a collaboration between VHIO and 15 other academic cancer centers and universities spanning 10 European countries that are developing clinically relevant PDX cancer models. This tour de force connects research entities of excellence in order to share and exchange key findings on promising therapeutics as well as carry out multi-center preclinical studies.
Coinciding with the launch of the EurOPDX Consortium website (available at www.europdx.eu), this month also celebrated its most recent meeting to discuss and debate current activities as well as explore future directions and strategies. Hosted by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, the meeting represented unparalleled opportunity for the partners to reflect on the many achievements to-date including several ongoing collaborations between members, key discussions with the pharmaceutical industry regarding collaborative studies, several high impact publications, as well as important progress on the setting-up and implementation of a common database to harness and store data on the collection of PDX models developed across the Consortium.
Such progress will positively impact on reducing the duplication of efforts in drug development, and in so doing, ultimately contribute to improved quality of life and overall survival of cancer patients.
For all the latest news and developments surrounding the EurOPDX Consortium please visit and bookmark: www.europdx.eu.
To discover more about VHIO´s involvement in the EurOPDX Consortium, please contact Amanda Wren directly, Email: awren@vhio.net.
