BC Platforms Partners with Australian Tissue Bank (ABCTB) to Improve Breast Cancer Treatment Outcomes

ABCTB joins the world's top biobanks and healthcare data collections in the Global Data Partner Network BCRQUEST.com

ZURICH and BOSTON, April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BC Platforms, a global leader in healthcare data management, analytics and access announced that it has formed a new data partnership with the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB) for its BCRQUEST.com Global Data Partner Network. The collaboration will support the ACBTB's mission to improve the treatment outcomes of patients with breast cancer. The ABCTB tissue bank is hosted at the University of Sydney's Westmead Institute for Medical Research.

ABCTB has a substantial collection of tissue samples going back to 2006, including over 10,000 samples from 5,000 participants as well as their linked associated treatment and clinical data. The collection includes cancerous and normal tissue samples supporting studies ranging from the identification of common gene variants in breast cancer, to using machine-learning algorithms to distinguish subtypes and polygenic risk scores to predict breast cancer.

Jennifer Cubino, COO, Customer Success and Data Sciences at BC Platforms, commented, "Our global footprint of the Global Data Partner Network BCRQUEST.com is rapidly growing as organisations recognise the value of rapid access to expertly curated and carefully governed patient data which is otherwise difficult to obtain. We welcome ABCTB to our global coalition of data partners, enabling deep data access that can improve outcomes for affected patients."

Professor Christine Clarke, Emeritus Professor, The University of Sydney, Distinguished Scientist, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, and Chair, the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank, said, "Our collaboration with BC Platforms is a new pathway to facilitate worldwide access to the ABCTB resource. We are excited about the potential to translate current research knowledge into clinical practice, including investigating the molecular basis of disease and gaining a deeper understanding of the genomic predictors of response to drugs and potential new therapeutics."

The Global Data Partner Network BCRQUEST.com is an integrated healthcare network that provides a streamlined solution for researchers to efficiently access harmonized data, driving improved sharing and faster research insight generation. The platform and its supporting framework enable collaboration between pharmaceutical institutions, healthcare and academic researchers while strictly adhering to global and local data privacy and security regulations.

The partnership with ACBTB is the latest in a series that has brought together data representing 20 million patient lives from leading healthcare data custodians across the globe. Last October, BC Platforms announced a new data partnership with the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus  incorporating clinical and genomic-consented records and biobank samples. In April 2020, BC Platforms announced that it has added three new leading biobanks to BCRQUEST.com, including Generation Scotland, UK, Bialystok Biobank, Poland, and Biobank Graz Austria.

About BC Platforms

BC Platforms is a global leader in providing a powerful data and technology platform for personalized medicine, accelerating the translation of insights into clinical practice. Our technology drives the infinite loop between personalized care and research discoveries, leveraging latest science, deep technical expertise, strategic partnerships, and harmonized, diverse data collections. Our high performing genomic data discovery and analytics platform enables flexible data integration, secure analysis and interpretation of molecular and clinical information. Additionally, BC Platforms has developed a Global Data Partner Network BCRQUEST.com, which provides genomic and clinical cohort data for pharmaceutical and medical research and development. BC Platforms' vision is to build the world's leading analytics platform for healthcare and industry, providing access to diverse genomic and clinical data and samples from more than 5 million subjects, consolidated from a global network of Data Partners. 

Founded in 1997 from an MIT Whitehead project spinoff, the Company has a strong scientific heritage underpinned by over 20 years of working in close collaboration with a network of leading researchers, developers, and industry partners. BC Platforms has global operations with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, research and development in Espoo, Finland, and presence in London, Boston and in Singapore.  For more information, please visit www.bcplatforms.com or follow us on Linkedin @BC Platforms.

About the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB)

The Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB) was created to provide an open-access resource of breast cancer biospecimens and clinical data to support breast cancer research.

This was achieved through the support of women with breast cancer, who consented for ABCTB to securely store their samples and data; and through the participation of a collaborative network of cancer clinicians and researchers. Establishment of the ABCTB was facilitated by funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Cancer Institute New South Wales and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The ABCTB consists of a large collection of breast cancer and normal breast tissue samples, as well as blood samples which are taken from women diagnosed with breast cancer together with information about the health and breast cancer treatment and outcome of donors. Researchers with ethically approved projects from Australia and internationally can apply for materials and data.

About The Westmead Institute for Medical Research WIMR

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) is making breakthroughs in medical research and applying these discoveries to some of the world's most serious diseases. These include illnesses like COVID-19; cancers; HIV; diabetes; heart, kidney and liver issues and deadly viruses.

The world-leading researchers at WIMR work collaboratively. They are passionate, dedicated and brilliant, with a personal connection that is second to none. WIMR researchers are driven and thrive on solving medical challenges.

WIMR's work is changing and saving lives.  www.westmeadinstitute.org.au

About the Faculty of Medicine and Health, at the University of Sydney

As the first medical school in Australia, the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney is both steeped in history and a pioneer in the future of healthcare. We are focused on reimagining the way we deliver wellness and health through innovative, life-long education, world-class research, technology and facilities and partnerships with change makers.

The University of Sydney was founded in 1850 on the principle of providing people from all backgrounds with the opportunity to realise their potential to make a positive impact in the world through education. We're a world-renowned teaching and research institution – our research combines the expertise and talents of scholars from many disciplines. In creating Australia's first university, our founders recognised the power of education to change society. We hold that belief just as strongly today.

Contact information:

Tero Silvola
BC Platforms AG
Tero.silvola@bcplatforms.com

Katja Stout
Scius Communications
katja@sciuscommunications.com

Vivienne Reiner
University of Sydney 
Vivienne.reiner@sydney.edu.au