Getinge : New innovative trial set out to bring urgent hope to women with ovarian cancer

New innovative trial set out to bring urgent hope to women with ovarian cancer

Press releases | 2021-11-19

A new adaptive platform trial called Ovarian CanceRx™ aims to bring rapid hope to women worldwide who suffer from ovarian cancer. Behind this unique initiative to accelerate research progress, create awareness and make real change happen, stands a voluntary network and the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR).

"First hearing that someone close to you has cancer is like getting the air sucked out of your lungs. It feels like the end of the world. You are scanning the internet to find people and companies that are making progress in discovering treatments, looking for any kind of hope," says Ashik Mohan, Director R&D Cardiac Surgery at Getinge.

He is speaking out of experience from when his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a few years ago. Shocked to discover that the research progress had been so poor during the last 20 years, he didn't find any of the answers he was hoping for.

"The treatment options for women with ovarian cancer are not the same as you see for some other types of cancer patients. Ovarian cancer symptoms are vague and many patients are misdiagnosed and undiagnosed until a late stage. Although ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, there are not as many investments going into ovarian cancer research. Also, since the ovaries are part of the female reproductive system there is a bit of hesitancy talking about it which makes awareness and advocacy even harder."

In the middle of the crisis Ashik and his wife were in, Professor Andrew W. Lo contacted Ashik and invited him to join a summit with clinicians, engineers, scientists, investors, advocates, innovators and other industry professionals from all over the world to address the lack of progress in ovarian cancer treatment options.

"Andrew had a personal connection to ovarian cancer and had seen the same things we did; which was that there is no hope and treatment options for these patients. He wanted to bring people together who were as determined as him to do something about it," explains Ashik.

This was how the effort behind the Ovarian CanceRx™ trial was formed; a group of voluntary clinicians, researchers, advocates and others, discussing opportunities in therapeutics and diagnostics and improved financial models for ovarian cancer, with focus on innovations in clinical research.

"I have a long background in medical technology and how to bring complex ideas to the market. Andrew had seen some of my previous work within the cardiovascular space and he said they needed people like me in the cancer world, to help see to it that great ideas didn't get stuck, that they could translate into actual therapies. The test method that you use to try these therapies can also be considered an innovation, and that's what now has led to the development of a science driven and patient centric adaptive platform trial called Ovarian CanceRx™."

Kicked off by an initial investment and support by the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR), a non-profit organization that helps to organize, develop, and operationalize adaptive platform studies, Ovarian CanceRx™ is designed to be efficient and reduce development time by trying several drugs at once against the standard of care treatments.

"This way we are expecting to find new therapies more quickly. Traditionally, it takes up to five years or even longer to do a clinical study. It costs a lot so many companies cannot afford it and good ideas go to waste," explains Ashik. "This adaptive trial allows for the simultaneous and rapid testing of new agents for patients with late stage or recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, giving patients more options for treatment depending on their circumstances."

Ashik feels passionate about this mission, working together with people that care so much about the patients and are convinced they can lift the taboo, create awareness and make real change happen.

"We are dedicated and in this for the long run. The whole purpose is to bring some hope. To all women with ovarian cancer out there, to all your loved ones, I want you to know: there are people working on this, looking for potential treatments for you right now. You are not forgotten, you are on our radar. You are not alone."

Learn more about Ovarian CanceRx™ and how you can take action over at GCAR >>

Files

• New innovative trial set out to bring urgent hope to women with ovarian cancer

Share: