Partnership Between Ohio State and Moffitt Creates World’s Largest Cancer Research Collaboration

Some are calling it a cancer research “expressway.” Others say it’s the “ideal way” to help patients and accelerate development of targeted cancer treatments.

Clearly, the new Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) is generating lots of positive buzz . . . and for good reason. Formed as a collaboration between two of North America’s leading cancer centers –the Moffitt Cancer Center and the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) –ORIEN launched last month with more than 100,000 consented patients who have agreed to donate their tissue and clinical data for research to understand cancer at the molecular level. 

Researchers at ORIEN will utilize a single protocol, Total Cancer Care®, to create a collaborative, “rapid learning” environment for sharing de-identified data to accelerate the development of targeted treatments. Established by Moffitt in 2006, Total Cancer Care® allows researchers and clinicians to more quickly match eligible patients to clinical trials and conduct larger and richer analysis. The protocol also provides a standard system for tracking patient molecular, clinical and epidemiological data and follows the patient throughout his or her lifetime.

ORIEN is believed to be the largest collaboration of its kind. Essentially, it creates a way to leverage multiple data sources and match patients to targeted treatments.

“With ORIEN, we’re amassing a true national cancer database for the first time,” Michael Caligiuri, M.D., director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital, said. “The collaboration across academic centers and with health care industry will not only help speed discovery, but will also provide patients with more personalized treatment options and ultimately, lead to better outcomes.”

As explained in this press release, ORIEN’s approach to clinical trial matching also presents a significant opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to modernize trial recruitment and facilitate adaptive clinical trial design. Through M2Gen, industry researchers will be able to match their targeted drugs to participating patients within ORIEN cancer center members based on their molecular profile, promoting greater trial efficiency and flexibility.

And this is only the beginning . . . The ORIEN collaborative is seeking partnerships with other leading cancer centers in North America. More information is available at ORIENcancer.org.