Indivumed and University of Rochester Expand Cancer Research Alliance

Indivumed, a leading biotech company specializing in precision oncology, has announced a strategic partnership with the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) to enhance the discovery of novel cancer therapeutics. This collaboration, revealed on December 10, 2025, aims to leverage advanced tissue and clinical data collection methods to better serve patients with significant medical needs.

Enhancing Patient-Centric Cancer Research

This alliance capitalizes on Indivumed’s expertise in standardized tissue collection and patient-centric research. The company’s innovative platform ensures the integrity of surgical tissue samples and clinical data, which are crucial for advancing cancer therapeutics. URMC’s role will involve the meticulous collection and processing of high-quality biosamples, adhering to Indivumed’s rigorous standard operating procedures (SOPs). A notable aspect of this partnership is the emphasis on minimizing ischemia time to under ten minutes, a critical factor in maintaining sample quality.

The collaboration will prioritize the development of well-characterized, patient-derived tumor models (PDTMs) from the collected samples. These models, which include classical cell cultures, spheroids, and organoids, will be instrumental in identifying and validating pharmaceutical molecular targets. This approach aims to de-risk the process of drug development and enhance the efficacy of cancer treatments.

Hartmut “Hucky” Land, PhD, Deputy Director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We have worked with Indivumed successfully in the past, and our familiarity with their tissue and multi-omics data approach will provide an excellent foundation. The new project will create greater opportunities to identify new therapeutics and biomarkers.” This sentiment highlights the collaborative spirit that both institutions bring to the fight against cancer.

Targeting Challenging Cancers

The initial research focus will be on advanced stages of solid cancers that present a high medical need, including colorectal cancer (CRC), pancreatic cancer (PDAC), lung cancer, and breast cancer. As the partnership evolves, there is potential for expansion into other cancer types. Insights gained from this collaboration will not only further Indivumed’s ongoing research initiatives but also provide clinicians with valuable data to guide therapeutic decision-making.

Hartmut Juhl, CEO and founder of Indivumed, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, “We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with URMC, significantly enhancing our ability to identify novel cancer therapeutics in a truly patient-centered approach.” Juhl noted that they will develop primary tumor models to test novel compounds against targets identified through Indivumed’s AI-powered data analytics.

This partnership also marks URMC’s inclusion in the Indivumed Global Clinical Network, which consists of numerous prestigious hospitals and oncology institutes across North America, Europe, and Asia. The collaboration builds on previous successes between the two entities, including a recent publication that explored a new classification method for distinct types of colon cancer.

As the landscape of cancer research continues to evolve, the collaboration between Indivumed and the University of Rochester Medical Center stands as a promising initiative aimed at transforming the development of precision cancer therapeutics. The commitment to patient-centric research may ultimately lead to more effective treatments and improved outcomes for cancer patients worldwide.