NEW YORK– Massive Bio, which uses artificial intelligence and concierge service to match cancer patients to oncology clinical trials regardless of their location or financial circumstances, continues its expansion beyond the United States. The company now operates on three continents and in 12 countries, with a particularly strong presence in the European Union (EU). *After passage of new pharmaceutical legislation known as the Clinical Trials Regulation, which entered into application on January 31, 2022, the EU offers an attractive and favorable environment for carrying out clinical research on a large scale, with high standards of public transparency and safety for clinical trial participants. Thus, Massive Bio aims to be the first global oncology patient recruitment company to establish a material footprint in the EU. Massive Bio supports 1,750 clinical sites (650 of these sites are outside United States) and has partnerships with 21 pharmaceutical companies and five clinical research organizations globally.
Since its inception in 2015, Massive Bio has received more than $23 million in investor funding, which the company has used to expand global operations, intensify marketing activities, and develop new products. Additionally, the company expanded its operations in Europe with the addition of several senior managers.
Last year was a time of remarkable growth for Massive Bio, notes CEO and Co-founder Selin Kurnaz, Ph.D. One important milestone the company, achieved was onboarding its 100,000th patient, which occurred nine months earlier than projected. “We plan to continue to grow with the goal of adding new team members and expanding our global footprint with the mission of helping more cancer patients reach clinical trials,” said Kurnaz. “We will support more than 100 pharma-sponsored clinical trials by the end of 2023 and reach 250,000 cancer patients by mid-2024. Our key priority in 2023 is to scale our business, operations, and investments.”
Massive Bio’s strategy provides localized services for cancer patients and their providers with comprehensive global expertise and innovative vision that leverages advanced technological architecture, said Toygun Rauf Onaran, head of strategy for the company outside the United States. “Massive Bio continues to invest in human capital, partners, and a network of clinics in the EU, Israel, Turkey, and Brazil to make clinical trials more accessible for cancer patients in need of treatments,” said Onaran. “We are expanding our service provider network and patient identification channels by establishing strategic partnerships with leading institutions, physicians, and other stakeholders that contribute to the treatment journey of cancer patients. Our country-specific strategies in 2023 include establishing strategic partnerships with hospital groups in Spain, Poland, and Israel; lab networks in Poland, France, and Spain; health data vendors in Spain and Poland; and nationwide pharmacy chains in Italy. This shows the complex and customized approach we employ in each county that we operate in, based on the requirements and available resources in the market.”
Due to significant expansion of patient volumes globally and the need to streamline patient enrollment timelines for these volumes, Massive Bio has developed a trial-based clinical strategy to help sponsor companies predict the number of eligible patients in the future. This is a first-in-class service in the world of clinical trials and a useful tool that allows sponsors to estimate timelines for the recruitment completion of each study. This clinical strategy gives sponsors the opportunity to select future countries and sites if needed. Many oncology patients and their physicians are eager to learn about new treatment options under investigation in clinical trials, especially for challenging diagnoses such as lung cancer, myelofibrosis, and multiple myeloma. Massive Bio continues its mission of ensuring that all cancer patients who want to participate in clinical trials can find and enroll in one.
