A/Prof. Edward Kai-Hua CHOW Cancer Science Institute Singapore Link to biosketch

Abstract

It is evident that cancer, even within the same subtype, is often driven by a diverse range of molecular mechanisms. While our increased knowledge of these oncogenic drivers has led to an explosion in effective targeted therapies, heterogeneity across the oncology patient populations means that these therapies often work for only a small subset of patients. Identifying the most suitable therapeutic option from amongst a range of available drugs is a daunting task given the large search space and the lack of suitable predictive biomarkers. Ex vivo drug sensitivity platforms are now increasingly investigated as a method for helping clinicians identify the most suitable therapies for their patients. Our own lab has recently explored the use of our drug combination design and ranking analytics platform, QPOP, towards ex vivo patient-specific drug sensitivity testing. The early promise of these platforms suggests that truly personalised medicine is achievable in cancer, however a number of hurdles remain. We will discuss both the promise and problems that face implementing technology towards making personalised medicine a reality in gastric cancer with respect to combination therapy.