NEW YORK – Spanish firms Reveal Genomics and Ona Therapeutics said Monday that they have partnered on molecular tumor analysis in clinical trials for an Ona candidate drug.
Under the terms of the deal, Reveal Genomics will molecularly analyze tumor and blood samples from the ONA-255 Phase I and II clinical trials.
The companies hope to find insights into tumor biology, the immune microenvironment, and response mechanisms to ONA-255, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), to help define patient populations, identify predictive biomarkers, and deepen the understanding of the drug's mechanism of action.
The collaborators have also won a grant of undisclosed size from CDTI , which is part of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities that promotes technological innovation and development. The grant is funded under the European Union's NextGenerationEU program.
Financial and other terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
"This partnership with Reveal Genomics combines Ona's ADC experience with cutting-edge diagnostics with the goal to transform the treatment landscape for aggressive solid tumors," Ona CEO and Cofounder Valerie Vanhooren said in a statement.
Reveal Genomics is a spinout from Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, the University of Barcelona, and the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology. The company has developed genomic assays that provide prognostic and predictive information to guide personalized cancer treatment. According to the company, its DNADX assay offers information on cell-free DNA obtained via liquid biopsy as well as tumor tissue DNA.
Reveal Genomics CSO and Cofounder Aleix Prat is also head of Ona's advisory board. He helped identify ONA-255's drug target and generated preclinical data in collaboration with the firm.