HAMBURG, GERMANY - A new study led by precision oncology pioneers Indivumed Therapeutics reveals significant changes in the molecular characteristics of tumor samples within as little as 10 minutes after surgical removal. The findings underline the importance of rapid snap freezing of tissue samples to reliably capture cancer biology and reveal novel drug targets.

Publishing in Cell Death & Disease, the study analyzed the impact of cold ischemia time (the time it takes to preserve surgically removed tissue) on more than 1,800 tumor and matched normal tissue samples across four cancer types: colorectal, liver and two subtypes of lung cancer.

Multi-omics analysis was used to compare gene expression, proteins, and phosphoproteins in samples with cold ischemia times ranging from less than 10 to more than 25 minutes. Significant differences emerged in the expected patterns of gene and protein activity in samples with longer cold ischemia times compared with those frozen within less than 10 minutes.

Senior Data Scientist at Indivumed Therapeutics, Silvia von der Heyde, said, “We already knew that the molecular expression profile in tissue samples changes the longer they are outside the body, but we were surprised to see the extent of the differences after just ten minutes. This misleading picture of cancer biology has a significant impact on drug discovery, leading researchers to waste time and money on false leads or simply not seeing potentially important targets for novel therapeutics.”

Through its Global Clinical Network partners, Indivumed Therapeutics has gathered an unrivaled biobank of many thousands of high-quality tumor and normal tissue samples, collected and rapidly frozen within an average of 10 minutes cold ischemia time according to the company’s strict protocols.

“We’re proud to build on this unique resource, using the potential of bioinformatics, biomathematics, and cell biology to identify, validate, and characterize novel oncology drug targets.” says Jobst Landgrebe, Head of R&D and Chief Technology Strategist at Indivumed Therapeutics.

This paper validates the original vision of Indivumed’s founder and CEO Hartmut Juhl, who recognized that the best way to find genuine targets for novel cancer drugs is to get as close to the molecular reality of the disease as possible.

Juhl says, “I am beyond excited to see my vision from 22 years ago reflected in our work today. Our long-standing commitment to sample and data quality is finally paying off and contributing to the search for new treatments that will bring forward the promise of effective cancer medicine for all the patients out there.”

Reference: von der Heyde, S., Raman, N., Gabelia, N. et al. Tumor specimen cold ischemia time impacts molecular cancer drug target discovery. Cell Death Dis 15, 691 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-024-07090-x

About Indivumed Therapeutics
Indivumed Therapeutics is a biotech company focused on precision oncology.
We create screening-ready novel target packages and partner with the pharmaceutical industry to develop precision cancer therapeutics.

With our global network of selected partner clinics, we have created unique protocols and procedures to collect tissue of unmatched quality and variety. By systematically characterizing the tissue at a molecular level and linking it with longitudinal clinical data, we can unravel novel targets that would otherwise be undetectable.

Combining biomathematics, bioinformatics and cell biology, we identify targets and design proof-of-concept drug screening assays for successful development further down the pipeline.
We envision a world where precision therapy offers a cure for every cancer patient.

Find out more at indivumed-therapeutics.com.