Alira Health Joins the IRB Barcelona to Advance Development of Personalized Cancer Treatments

We are pleased to announce we are joining the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) as part of the CGI-Clinics project. This is a five-year project, funded by the European Commission, through the recent Horizon Europe framework. With 17 partners across Europe, it aims at developing a tool to support the decision-making process by clinical oncologists, so that each patient receives the most appropriate treatment.

This tool, called Cancer Genome Interpreter, analyzes potential susceptibilities of each tumor, through machine-learning and other computational methods, to systematically interpreting the mutation variants from tumor genomes. The Cancer Genome Interpreter has been built on data from 28,000 tumors from 66 types of cancer.

As a partner of the Tumor Genome Consortium, we will contribute to the project by supporting its following aspects:

• Definition of product regulatory requirements, including classification assessment and path to market
• Development of successful go-to market strategies that understand market dynamics for genomics in cancer
• Generation of Real-World Evidence (RWE) to demonstrate the value of the Cancer Genome Interpreter for healthcare professionals and patients
• Keeping patient-centric product development through the entire lifecycle—from appraising the patient journey to tailoring Advisory Board patient involvement, and creating dedicated, Plain Language patient content

“This is an amazing, innovative, and inclusive project that we are proud to be part of,” says Catia Proenca, project leader and Director of Real-World Evidence at Alira Health. “The Cancer Genome Interpreter will enable healthcare professionals to access the most current and leading-edge information about cancer driving mutations, helping them to select the most appropriate treatment for cancer patients—regardless of the size of the healthcare center.”

Additionally, cancer patients will receive feedback on their mutation profile. “This will empower patients to participate in the decision-making process of their disease management in a truly personalized way,” says Catia. “We will work hand-in-hand with IRB Barcelona and the consortium partners to generate the necessary evidence to demonstrate the true value of CGI-Clinics to patients and healthcare professionals.”

“The top level and the complementary expertise of the 17 partners are optimal to address the implementation of the Cancer Genome Interpreter from all angles and bring it to the clinic. We are glad to count Alira Health in our ranks, to ensure regulatory aspects”, says Olivia Tort, International Project Manager at IRB Barcelona and CGI-Clinics Project Manager.

“The Cancer Genome Interpreter, which we have been working on for more than five years, has immense potential and, through this project, we intend to optimize it for its use in hospitals and healthcare centers. We want it to be a key instrument to support the decision-making by clinical oncologists, so that each patient, regardless of the hospital in which the diagnosis is made, receives the most appropriate treatment,” explains Dr. Nuria López-Bigas, ICREA researcher, head of the Biomedical Genomics lab at IRB Barcelona, and lead of the CGI-Clinics project.

The project involves hospitals and research institutes across Europe, including:

• Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO)
• Gustave Roussy
• Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer Léon Bérard
• Uniklinik RWTH AACHEN
• Universitätsklinikum Köln AöR
• Manchester Cancer Research Centre
• Girona Biomedical Research Institute Dr. Josep Trueta (IDIBGI)
• Fundació Althaia – Hospital Sant Joan de Déu de Manresa and the Andalusian Health Services
• Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO)
• Fundación Progreso y Salud of the Regional Government of Andalusia
• Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG – CRG)
• European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)

About Alira Health

Alira Health is an international patient-centric and technology-enabled advisory firm whose mission is to humanize healthcare. We work with healthcare and life sciences organizations, supporting their entire solutions lifecycle. From development to medical care, we complement our clients’ expertise with a full spectrum of services, including research and clinical development solutions, technology-powered consulting, and real-world evidence.

Our integrated and multidisciplinary team of over 500 scientists, strategists, economists, clinicians, and biostatisticians collaborate across our offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, advising 80% of the top 50 MedTech companies and 75% of the top 50 Pharma companies in the world.