CrownBio teams with X-ray tech firm Xstrahl on ratiotherapy models
The collaboration – financial terms of which were not disclosed – grants CrownBio access to Xstrahl’s small animal radiation research (SARRP) system for use in the development of improved preclinical models and radiotherapy regimens.
The system uses a technique called image guided micro-irradiation (IGMI), which lets researchers deliver beams of radiation to precise anatomical targets on subject animals in exactly the same way as radiotherapy is applied in the clinical setting.
The idea is that more clinically relevant preclinical models can be used to develop better radiotherapy regimens as CrownBio president, Jean-Pierre Wery, explained.
“Providing preclinical models which more closely reflect a patient’s condition should be a potential option for validating the efficacy of novel therapies and potential compounds that make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer.
In return US-based X-ray specialist Xstrahl will gain a deeper understanding of the the preclinical cancer model development process, according to COO Adrian Treverton.
“This unique partnership with CrownBio will enable Xstrahl to enhance our understanding of unique models of radiation and apply this knowledge to the wider oncology drug discovery community.
“We want to transform the way researchers and clinicians conduct radiation research as well as providing the most advanced platforms for validating the efficacy of novel radiation therapies for cancer and research into normal tissue toxicity.”
Research using the Xstrahl system will be conducted at the facility in Nottingham, UK that is operated by CrownBio’s recent acquisition, Precos.
