Creation of the Partnership
The co-development agreement between the Ellison Institute and Olympus, which originated as a collaboration between the University of Southern California (USC) and Olympus, is a multiscale partnership designed to advance research into the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer through specialized precision medicine.
The signing of the partnership was overseen by the scientific leadership of two internationally recognized trailblazers at USC, medical oncologist and researcher, David Agus, MD (Ellison Institute) and bioimaging technologist and researcher Scott Fraser, PhD (Translational Imaging Center (TIC)). This agreement equipped these labs with the latest Olympus microscopy technology, enabling their researchers to perform multiscale bioimaging of single cells, live cells, tumor microenvironments, organ systems, and the whole patient.
Watch this video to hear Dr. Agus and Dr. Fraser explain the partnership’s benefits:
Redefining Cancer Research: The Innovation Partnership Today
As its name suggests, part of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine’s mission is to uncover new and groundbreaking ways to treat cancer. Scientists at the Ellison Institute are using Olympus’ latest microscopy imaging solutions to study ways to improve and accelerate oncology drug discovery research.
Challenges of Oncology Drug Treatment Testing
In the approval stages preceding clinical trials of cancer drugs, researchers perform extensive testing on human tumor cells in the lab to validate whether a drug molecule stops or slows cancer cell growth. Once these treatments reach the clinical trial stage, there is an unfortunately high failure rate for cancer drugs, despite the demonstrated efficacy in the lab.
Innovating Drug Discovery Solutions Using Novel Methods
To help improve the success rate of cancer drugs at the clinical stage, scientists at the Ellison Institute are innovating methods to optimize the precision of drug efficacy testing.
These studies involve using Olympus’ advanced imaging solutions, including our high-content screening systems, TruAI™ deep-learning technology, and 3D modeling software, which are being applied to 3D biomimetic preclinical cancer models, such as patient-derived organoids.
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Leveraging these emerging technologies, Ellison Institute researchers are conducting novel experiments to validate their potential to improve the precision of drug testing in the lab, thereby increasing the potential for success in subsequent clinical trials. Improving the approval rates for cancer drugs at the clinical trial stage could have far-reaching impacts for cancer patients and their physicians, offering more treatment options for precision oncology.
Katherin Patsch, PhD, Seungil Kim, PhD, Carolina Garri, PhD, Emma Fong, PhD (left to right)
Olympus’ microscopy solutions experts collaborate closely with the researchers, providing technical support and assistance with image acquisition and analysis as needed.
Discover the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine
The Ellison Institute unites international experts from diverse disciplines and employs novel technologies to spark innovation and drive transdisciplinary research with the goal of redefining cancer and wellness in the 21st century. By harnessing the expertise of leading physicians, scientists, and thought leaders from around the world, the Ellison Institute advances cancer research, deepening our understanding of the complex biological processes that take place within a tumor and patient.