BMS, GRAIL in Precision Medicine Pact

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has made an equity investment and plans to enter a research collaboration with GRAIL Inc., a life sciences company dedicated to detecting cancer early. GRAIL aims to develop highly sensitive blood tests that detect cancer in its early stages to enable earlier intervention with targeted therapies by combining high intensity cancer DNA sequencing, computer science and large clinical studies into a diagnostic platform.

BMS will gain early access to GRAIL’s clinical trial databases, a resource for understanding tumor genomics. Additionally, a research collaboration would enable BMS to examine its clinical data using GRAIL’s analytic tools to help inform R&D decisions, guide strategies to advance point of care companion diagnostics and potentially improve selection, care and management of patients with more targeted treatments.

"A key enabler of our Immuno-Oncology strategy is to leverage precision medicine to speed the selection of the most effective combinations of therapies for patients," said Francis Cuss, MB BChir, FRCP, chief scientific officer, BMS. "GRAIL’s future innovation potential is significant. Liquid biopsies hold the potential to support much earlier intervention and better define individual patient characteristics that may enhance treatment decisions."

BMS has a diverse early portfolio of immuno-oncology mechanisms it’s evaluating across a range of tumors and modalities, with 10 investigational molecules in the clinic and ongoing registrational trials in 14 tumor types.