The Albany Gazette - Genomate and VivaMed to Rescue and Repurpose Oncology Drugs with AI and Clinical Data

CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 27, 2026 / Genomate Health, a precision oncology company, today announced a strategic partnership with VivaMed BioPharma to advance existing drugs and promising compounds for new applications in cancer based on the underlying molecular interactions of the tumor. Together, they aim to build the computational and clinical evidence needed to bring these treatments to market for the patients most likely to benefit.

Progress in cancer treatment remains uneven. A 2021 analysis estimated that approximately 7% of U.S. patients with advanced or metastatic cancer would respond to genome-targeted therapies approved as of 2020. Closing that gap starts with a shift already underway in oncology: defining cancer by its molecular signature rather than its location in the body. Because most targeted therapies act on genetic biomarkers, not organs, a drug developed for one cancer may benefit patients with a very different one that shares the same molecular profile. Regulators have embraced this approach: since its first 'tissue-agnostic' approval in 2017, the U.S. FDA has approved nine therapies that treat solid tumors based on their genetic alterations rather than where they originated.

The financial stakes are also high. Bringing a new drug from discovery to approval often takes more than a decade and substantial capital. According to IQVIA, new oncology drugs launched in the United States in 2024 had a median annual list cost of approximately $412,000, before discounts. Behind that price sits an estimated $3.5 billion in average R&D spending per precision oncology approved drug, and, historically, more than 90% of oncology candidates that enter clinical trials have not reached approval.

Drugs that have already reached clinical trials start from a stronger position: they can carry years of research, human safety and dosing data, and real evidence of how patients responded, even when the original development program did not succeed. A promising compound shelved after an unsuccessful trial may deserve renewed development if the patients most likely to respond can be identified. Each opportunity requires evidence, but it can build on research that has already been done.

"Genomate has pioneered technology to help thousands of patients find the targeted therapy they are most likely to respond to, with our latest model and ever-growing datasets, we now have an opportunity to make the greatest impact to patients by helping bring to market promising compounds," said Nabil Hafez, Chief Executive Officer of Genomate Health. "A drug developed for one cancer may have value in another, because different tumors can share the molecular features that influence treatment response. Our task is to understand those features in the context of each patient's cancer and build the evidence that could turn a treatment possibility into a new option for patients." said Istvan Petak, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Genomate Health.

The partnership brings together VivaMed's BioAtlas platform, which maps disease biology and therapeutic opportunities, with Genomate®, which evaluates treatments in the full molecular context of a patient's cancer. The aim is to use that combined understanding to reveal new possibilities for medicines and guide their development toward the patients most likely to benefit.

Building on existing research and, where available, human safety and response data could help focus development resources on the most promising opportunities; the potential is to create new value from drugs and compounds with an established scientific history, supported by a clearer understanding of who could benefit.

"Traditional drug development is costly and time-intensive, often leaving promising therapies and years of scientific investment unrealized," said Kendric Speagle, Chief Executive Officer of VivaMed BioPharma "Through BioAtlas, we leverage artificial intelligence to uncover new therapeutic opportunities for existing and previously developed drugs, addressing significant unmet patient needs. Our collaboration with Genomate brings complementary precision oncology capabilities, using molecular and genomic insights to help identify cancer patient populations most likely to benefit from these therapies. Combined with our scientific validation partnerships, this approach allows us to prioritize promising treatments, reduce development time, cost, and risk, and ultimately accelerate the delivery of meaningful therapies to patients."

For patients, the long-term ambition is a wider range of approved treatment options, including drugs that might otherwise never be developed for their cancer. For drug developers, the partnership offers a data-driven route to new indications, helping to de-risk development and focus investment where the evidence of benefit is strongest. The same approach could be applied across a much broader set of compounds, opening the door to further collaborations with pharmaceutical partners seeking new paths for their pipelines.

About Genomate Health

Genomate Health is a precision medicine company developing a novel computational infrastructure for precision oncology, grounded in over 20 years of molecular oncology research. Its technology, Genomate^®, has been validated in multiple studies, with tumor response and clinical outcome data published in major peer-reviewed journals and forums, including Nature NPJ Precision Oncology, ASCO, AACR, and ESMO. Genomate Health is certified to ISO 13485 and ISO 27001 standards, is a founding member of CancerX, and a Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate graduate. Genomate^® has been awarded by the ASCO Breakthrough Innovations in Oncology Conference, the prestigious Future Unicorn Award of DIGITALEUROPE and, most recently won Blue Earth's #BE100 Health award.

Learn more at www.genomate.health

About VivaMed BioPharma

VivaMed BioPharma is a drug development company using artificial intelligence, precision biology and an integrated network of scientific, clinical and development partners to identify and advance high-potential therapeutic opportunities. Through BioAtlas and Pharma R1, VivaMed generates, validates and develops repurposed, improved and novel therapeutic assets, focusing resources on programs with the strongest scientific, clinical, intellectual property and commercial potential.

Learn more at www.vivamed.com

Media contacts

Alina Luchian, Head of Marketing & Brand at Genomate Health [email protected]

Kate Fassett, Chief Development Officer at VivaMed BioPharma - [email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the goals, plans and expected outcomes of the partnership between Genomate Health and VivaMed BioPharma. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the results of validation studies, the ability to secure rights to drug candidates and the availability of development funding. Actual results may differ materially. Neither company undertakes any obligation to update these statements.

SOURCE: Genomate Health

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(D.Lewis--TAG)