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Advancing precision cancer medicine via European collaboration

Learn more about the EU-funded Norwegian initiatives PCM4EU and PRIME-ROSE, and the Norwegian MATRIX Centre.


Two Norwegian EU-funded initiatives in precision cancer medicine and the Norwegian Centre for Clinical Cancer Research (MATRIX) were presented in the latest seminar hosted by CONNECT.


View the recording here:


Access presentation slides here:




PCM4EU

PCM4EU is short for Personalised Cancer Medicine for all EU citizens. The goal of the project is to facilitate the implementation of molecular cancer diagnostics for precision oncology, including the growing number of DRUP-like clinical trials.


“We are working together across the EU to facilitate the rolling out of molecular cancer diagnostics. This way, we can enable different countries to stratify patients into the different clinical trials and move towards implementation of precision cancer medicine in regular healthcare,” commented Kjetil Tasken, Professor of Medicine, University of Oslo & Head, Institute of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital.


The project is a part of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and funded by the EU4Health programme (grant no. 101079984). The project coordinator is Hans Gelderblom at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in the Netherlands. Oslo University Hospital has leading roles in three of the six work packages.


“Work package 5 is about cross-border collaboration on clinical trials. So, if there is a patient with a particular biomarker and we don’t have the right drug but one of the other DRUP-like trials has it, could the patient go there? Maybe, could the drug even come here?” added Tasken.


PCM4EU kickstarted in January 2023 and will run over two years, with a total budget of EUR 3 million. It has 17 partners from 15 European countries.


Read more and follow for updates on PCM4EU’s LinkedIn page.


PRIME-ROSE

PRIME-ROSE is the acronym for Precision Cancer Medicine Repurposing System Using Pragmatic Clinical Trials. The project aims to put together a community DRUP-like trials across Europe for the implementation of precision cancer medicine.


“Seven trials have so far joined, including the Dutch DRUP trial, the four Nordic trials including IMPRESS Norway, a trial in France and a trial in Portugal. There are also several institutions that have joined as Associated Partners. They can observe as they might want to start similar trials. The DETERMINE trial in the UK is also involved, as well as a newly formed DRUP-like trial in Ireland,” commented Tasken.


Norway is leading the project with Kjetil Tasken as project coordinator.


“We think that this project will make an impact, because it will gather data from a growing family of similarly organised clinical trials. It offers both momentum and the possibility to develop this area and set some standards in the field. We think this will accelerate the data gathering for the benefit of the patients, investigators, and industry partners. It will also facilitate implementation of precision cancer medicine,” added Tasken.


The project is funded with a total of EUR 6 million by the Horizon Europe Programme (Research and Innovation actions supporting the implementation of the Mission on Cancer) and will officially start on July 1st, 2023. See press release here.[JH4]


MATRIX

MATRIX (short for Multimodal Approach Targeting treatment Refractory cancers using next generation technologies and trials) is the Norwegian Centre for Clinical Cancer Research. The overall ambition of the centre is to extend the lives and improve the quality of life of patients with hard-to-treat cancers.


The project’s vision includes improved diagnostics, more clinical trials and more precise treatment, as well as improvement in cancer care pathways.


”We try to advance and improve cancer diagnostics through different kinds of innovative methods. We have a clinical trial network and aim to expand the network, build and strengthen the clinical trial competences in Norwegian hospitals, so that more hospitals and thereby patients can participate in trials. We also already have ongoing work on patient-centred care,” said Åslaug Helland, who is leading the MATRIX center.


MATRIX is managed and coordinated from Oslo University Hospital. Altogether, fifteen hospitals with their cancer departments, as well as the University of Oslo and OsloMet are partners in this initiative. MATRIX is funded by The Norwegian Cancer Society and The Norwegian Research Council with a total of NOK 128 million.


MATRIX is also hosting the Nordic Precision Cancer Medicine Symposium 2023 (NPCM 2023), with a grant from Acta Oncologica, at Holmenkollen on 17-19 September. Registration is open!


Read more about the centre on the MATRIX website.


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