Tailor was founded to improve precision medicine approaches for cancers with chromosomal instability, a phenomenon present in over 80% of all cancers. Founded from research that originated from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Tailor Bio is currently developing a pan-cancer precision medicine platform to produce new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to improving patient care.
Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, funds business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into R&D. This is the second Innovate UK grant that Tailor has received in support of the commercialisation of its technology platform and follows the successful development of a prototype as part of the Illumina Accelerator. The latest grant will allow Tailor Bio, along with collaborators Illumina and the University of Cambridge, to continue the development of a first diagnostic test to predict doxorubicin response in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
Each year over 7,000 people are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK. Many patients will be prescribed doxorubicin, a common chemotherapy drug, even though approximately half of these patients will actually benefit from the therapy. Tailor Bio’s doxorubicin test can help identify which patients will not respond well to this common treatment, allowing patients to avoid potential toxic side effects and the cost of ineffectual treatment.
The project will evaluate the compatibility of Tailor’s technology with the Illumina TruSight™ Oncology (TSO) Comprehensive (EU) assay*, which has recently received CE-IVD certification in Europe and is being implemented across the National Health Service.
Amanda Cashin, Ph.D., co-founder and Global Head of Illumina for Startups, comments:
“We are honored to continue our partnership with Tailor Bio, one of the first genomics startups in the first funding cycle of Illumina Accelerator Cambridge. It is fantastic to see Tailor Bio recognized for the Innovate Award as it strives to discover pioneering treatments for cancer patients across the globe.”
Jason Yip, CEO of Tailor Bio comments:
“We’re delighted that Innovate UK continues to support the commercialisation of our technology. In addition to addressing an unmet need in ovarian cancer, Tailor’s doxorubicin test is a pivotal step for us to validate our precision medicine platform. Stratifying patients away from ineffective treatment is
beneficial, but the ultimate aim of Tailor Bio is to develop better therapeutic treatments for cancers with chromosomal instability.”
*For In Vitro Diagnostic Use. Not available in all countries or regions.
