PRECOS, Argenta Extend Oncology Alliance

Preclinical Oncology Services Ltd. (PRECOS) has extended its alliance with Argenta for comprehensive oncology-focused drug discovery services. The five-year extension will allow both companies to continue to offer expertise in cancer research to their pharmaceutical clients.

PRECOS offers advanced patient-relevant in vivo models that closely reflect the clinical situation for each aspect of cancer progression, encompassing pre-cancerous lesions, primary tumors and metastasis. This ability to create cell lines from patient primary tissues means that cell lines are not selected based on their ability to survive in vitro, but on their true characteristics as cancer cells.

Argenta can now incorporate PRECOS’ in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo cancer models and scientific expertise into its integrated oncology drug discovery service offering, from hit identification through lead optimization and in vivo “proof-of-concept” to clinical candidate selection.

“Argenta has an excellent reputation for providing first class contract drug discovery services to the global pharmaceutical industry; especially in oncology,” said Sue Watson, chief scientific officer, PRECOS. “We are looking forward to working with Argenta across a number of ongoing cancer-focused contract research programs, in addition to various major projects currently in the pipeline. This agreement further demonstrates our business growth and commitment to providing innovative drug discovery services.”