Roche joins Garvan Institute and government to fast-track access to genomics and precision medicine in clinical trials

Pharma News: The Government announced $61.2 million investment for the Australian Genomic Cancer Medical Centre’s Project PrOSPeCT – the Precision Oncology Screening Platform enabling Clinical Trials – as part of a $185 million project to establish Australia as a regional hub for the development of innovative medicines to treat cancer.

While immunotherapy and other novel treatments have transformed outcomes in oncology care, 46,000 Australians a year are diagnosed with cancers with limited treatment options.

PrOSPeCT is led by Omico, the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre which is a network of Australia’s leading cancer research institutions and hospitals that grew out of the Molecular Screening & Therapeutics (MoST) Study at the Garvan Institute.

Professor David Thomas, head of Genomic Cancer Medicine at the Garvan Institute and CEO of Omico, said “Through PrOSPeCT, we will fast-track the development, manufacturing and use of precision, personalised cancer treatments, changing lives, creating jobs and building Australia’s sovereign capability in drug development.”

As a foundational partner in the PPP consortium, Roche has committed up to $20 million in funding for the project. The remaining funding will be contributed by the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), the Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI), Minderoo Foundation and other project partners (listed below).

Minderoo CEO, Andrew Hagger, commented “We expect PrOSPeCT to change Australia’s approach to clinical trials and personalised medicine and further advance the work already underway to unlock healthcare data and accelerate research for the benefit of patients.”

Stuart Knight, General Manager of Roche Products, said “We see this as an important opportunity to collaborate with the government, Omico and other project partners, to build a robust and sustainable healthcare ecosystem that will enable broader access to comprehensive genomic profiling for Australian cancer patients, and support access to local clinical trials.

“By enabling broad access to comprehensive genomic profiling, PrOSPECT offers patients – particularly those with advanced or metastatic disease – the potential to receive targeted therapy as early as possible in their cancer journey, thereby improving their prognosis and treatment outcomes,” added Mr Knight.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor, said “This project will help future proof our healthcare, specifically for cancer treatment. Combining research and development, clinical trial networks and the manufacture of cancer drugs locally offers early access to potentially life changing treatments to Australian patients. These projects will also create highly-skilled jobs in the medical sector while reducing our reliance on overseas suppliers of vital medications.”

Elizabeth de Somer, CEO of Medicines Australia, welcomed this significant investment. “Clinical trials create highly skilled jobs, grow the economy, and place Australian patients at the front of the queue for innovative treatments. Australia is a world leader in genomic research and precision medicine. This announcement will bolster Australia’s growing regional presence on the international stage as we work towards more landmark discoveries to fight cancer.”

Roche is uniquely positioned to realise the transformative potential of oncology personalised healthcare (PHC).

“Our combined strengths in diagnostic and pharmaceutical expertise, along with our leading portfolio of medicines, proven history of ground-breaking science, growing capabilities in data insights, and deep network of strategic partnerships, have made us a leader in personalised healthcare,” said Allison Rossiter, Managing Director of Roche Diagnostics Australia.

PrOSPeCT is a $185 million investment comprising:

• $61.2 million from the Australian Government’s Medical Products stream of the National Manufacturing Priority
• contributions from four core partners:
• Roche Australia
• NCI – the National Computational Infrastructure at ANU
• Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCI)
• The Minderoo Foundation
• supported by Bayer Australia, Bioplatforms Australia, Elevation Oncology, George Clinical, Illumina Australia, Microba, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Praxis Australia, Quantium Health Sonic Healthcare, Southern Star Research, and Syntro.