On Monday, April 8, 2024, Florida-based biotechnology research company Aster Insights announced that it has partnered with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to examine the relationship between the scoring algorithms used in diagnostic testing and key patient demographics.
The research effort seeks to better understand the eligibility of patients for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, a type of cancer treatment that boosts the body’s ability to battle cancerous cells. The project will begin by examining over 20,000 patients with “solid tumor malignancies,” and will then analyze these malignancies to determine whether or not each patients’ individual cancer may be effectively treated with ICI. This will hopefully establish treatment that can be more accurately tailored to a patient’s racial and ethnic background, furthering an effort to provide individualized care for patients’ unique backgrounds.
“Our research with [the] FDA will help improve outcomes in a way that embodies personalized medicine for every patient with cancer,” said Dr. Todd Johnson, Chief Growth Officer for Aster Insights as part of Monday’s press release. “Improving diagnostic algorithms to appropriately account for the race and ethnicity of each patient is a critical innovation needed in oncology today, to ensure all patients are directed to the best course of treatment.”
Established in 2006 in Tampa, Florida, Aster Insights has spent nearly two decades establishing itself as a prominent player in the cancer and biotechnology space. Aster Insights also leads the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN), which brings together many of the top oncology research centers in the United States.
Read the full press release here.
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