OCR, the R&D company specialising in the engineering of human and canine comparative medicine, which collaborates with pharmaceutical industry to improve human and animal health, has just raised €1.25m from the investment fund Newfund, NFA and its management team in order to accelerate its international development.
Recent studies on the development of innovative therapeutic solutions in human cancerology have shown that the promising, efficient results in nine out of ten products in murine models (rats, mice) will not be repeated in humans. These models are therefore insufficient.
OCR offers the pharmaceutical industry a unique offer in Europe, which consists of treating naturally ill pet dogs and cats as real patients, using drug candidates for the mutual benefit of humans and animals.
By treating dog and cat cancer patients with molecules which will shortly enter human clinical trials, OCR allows its biotech, pharma and medtech clients to optimise the costs of human clinical development by targeting more efficient molecules and also to secure their investment thanks to highly predictive animal models of human pathologies. In parallel, OCR also offers owners of sick pets access to the latest medical advances in cancer treatments.
OCR, which started operating at the end of 2013, is currently working with over fifteen European and American biotech, big pharma and veterinary companies including Transgene, Invectys, Pierre-Fabre and Cantex.
This funding will enable OCR to strengthen its investigation centre network in Europe, accelerate its growth in the US, Europe and Japan and finally to unite vets and pet owners together around OCR’s societal project.
Dr. Dominique Tierny, CEO of OCR, commented, ” We are delighted to welcome a renowned investment fund such as Newfund, who shares our vision and ambition for international development. As a high added value service provider for the pharmaceutical industry, our medical and business project is to combine the best in human and veterinary cancer research in order to advance knowledge of the disease, the development of new therapies and the combat against cancer for both humans and for animals.”
Matthieu Dubruque, CBO at OCR, added, ” Our aim is to assist our clients to reduce the risks of clinical failures later in humans. We address specific development issues and help our customers to design an appropriate human clinical strategy in light of the successes or difficulties encountered with dogs or cats. In addition to safety and efficacy, our approach permits us to evaluate the treatment schedule in previously untreated dogs with cancer, in a pathophysiological context which is very similar to that of humans.”
Dr. François Serres, CSO at OCR, concluded, ” Thirty years of scientific literature have shown that a naturally occurring canine or feline cancer is very similar to human cancer. OCR’s value proposition lies in its capacity to allow the human pharmaceutical industry and vets to work together, having the diagnostic tools and know-how in cancerology, which are very similar to human standards. We also respond to the wishes of dog owners to have the best possible therapeutic options to treat their animals, often considered as a member of the family.”
