Irving-based Caris Life Science has acquired Pharmatech Inc. to redefine cancer treatment by pairing each patient with the right clinical trial, regardless of their location, in as little as 10 days.

Caris uses molecular information to personalize therapy for cancer patients, and it’s already changed the way patients are diagnosed and treated.

Now, the acquisition aims to redefine the way patients are matched to, and enrolled in, clinical trials.

Denver-based Pharmatech is the pioneer behind a Just-In-Time research system. According to its website, the system matches cancer patients to the clinical trials that are right for them, giving them access to more trials across the country.

The system gives doctors access to more clinical trials at a local level, meaning the patient can continue seeing his or her regular physician for treatment rather than traveling to a trial facility.

In short—Caris’ research helps understand a patient’s cancer on a molecular level, and Pharmatech’s system brings the right clinical trial to them, decreasing the burden on both the patient and on research facilities.

In addition, the acquisition also aims to benefit drug developers, letting them better identify patients with the specific cancer profiles necessary for testing, David D. Halbert, Chairman and CEO of Caris said in a statement. New technology, he says, assures that “every patient that is a candidate for a trial gets enrolled.”

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How patients are assigned to treatment

Before a patient can undergo a trial therapy, his or her specific cancer biomarkers must be identified in order to determine if he or she will be the right fit for the trial. That’s where Caris comes in.

Caris’ Molecular Intelligence uses DNA, RNA, and proteins to identify the right treatment option for each patient. More accurate identification of treatment needs, paired with Pharmatech’s research-ready and Just-In-Time models, means patients can be enrolled in the best trial option in as little as 10 days.

“Every cancer patient should receive the best treatments available, including appropriate clinical trials,” Matthew Wiener, PharmD, President and Founder of Pharmatech, said in a statement. 

Simply put: This acquisition “will significantly improve patient care by quickly identifying patients who can benefit from clinical trials,” Weiner says.

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In March, Caris announced it had found a possible anti-tumor drug target, a discovery that might be a novel pathway to treating Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

The discovery, Caris said, identified an RNA–protein that shows potential as a unique anti-tumor drug target.

The protein, known as a spliceosomal complex, was identified for the first time on the surface of a cell, Caris said.

The identification was made using Caris’ proprietary ADAPT Biotargeting System, a technology platform that profiles cells on a molecular level. The ADAPT system uses a massive library of synthetically manufactured molecules to to reveal the disease biosignatures associated with unique diseases.

The tumor profiling market is expected to reach $21.08B by 2025, according to a study by Grand View Research Inc.

The global cancer/tumor profiling market size is expected to reach USD 21.08 billion by 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.8%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising research in the application of omics sciences in cancer detection is anticipated to influence market growth.

Rising research is expected to influence market growth and advance approaches to cancer screening and detection.

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