Exscientia plc announced the initiation of EXCYTE-1, a prospective observational study in ovarian cancer to investigate the relationship between ex vivo drug response (EVDR) in primary tumour-derived samples using the company?s precision medicine platform and actual patient clinical response. This first of its kind observational study in solid tumours will run at multiple medical research centres in Europe with a focus on ovarian cancers. It aims to inform and enable future studies in other solid tumours.

Ovarian cancer represents a high unmet need for predicting patient response to diverse therapy options. The study will be conducted in collaboration with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) Study Group, one of the leading non-profit clinical research networks in gynaeco-oncology worldwide. By combining high-content imaging of samples and deep learning image analysis, the company?s AI-based precision medicine platform leverages a patient?s biopsies to assess drug activity at a single cell level ex vivo.

The EXCYTE-1trial follows the prospective EXALT-1 trial in haematologic malignancies, the first study to leverage AI-driven ex vivo drug testing to guide treatment selection and improve outcomes in patients with advanced haematological cancers. Patients who received drugs prioritised by the platform experienced significantly better outcomes, with 54% of patients demonstrating clinical benefit of >1.3-fold enhanced progression free survival (PFS) compared to prior therapy. The EXCYTE-1 trial is designed to expand the scope of Exscientia?s precision medicine platform in solid tumours.