MD Anderson has tapped an innovative new company to improve the efficacy of cancer treatments. Photo via mdanderson.org

The sad reality is that not every cancer responds to medication, but a new collaboration is taking steps to close the gaps for scores of patients who were previously left without a clear solution.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Nexo Therapeutics announced last week that they are collaborating, a move that could lead to the discovery of therapies that could work for patients with limited treatment options.

The Colorado- and Massachusetts-based company joins forces with Houston’s cancer-fighting powerhouse after emerging from stealth with a $60 million series A.

“For many cancer patients, there are no therapies that target the fundamental drivers of their disease,” says Nexo’s founder and CEO, Andrew Phillips, in a press release. He goes on to say that the company’s innovations in covalent chemistry and chemical biology, along with cancer biology and medical chemistry allows it to advance novel therapies.

But in order to get the drugs that Nexo creates onto the market, it is taking advantage of MD Anderson’s first-rate translational research and expertise in drug development. Specifically, Nexo will work with MD Anderson’s TRACTION (Translational Research to AdvanCe Therapeutics and Innovation in ONcology) platform. The pairing will allow the two bodies to accelerate the development of small-molecule therapies through drug-enabling studies.

“Together with Nexo’s innovative platform, our integrated approach to translational research and drug development is poised to design and rapidly advance novel therapies against high priority oncology targets,” says Tim Heffernan vice president of Oncology Research for TRACTION at MD Anderson, in a press release. “This collaboration highlights our commitment to advancing innovative new medicines that address critical unmet needs for our patients.”

TRACTION is part of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery Division. It combines a team of doctors, researchers, and drug development specialists to bring therapies from discovery to clinical trials. TRACTION researchers will work with Nexo to identify cancers that might be susceptible to their treatments, then find strategies to target them, and finally use biomarkers to help optimize patient selection.

Nexo will help to provide funding to support this research and will retain rights to programs under the collaboration, and will take sole responsibility for development, manufacturing, and commercialization. Meanwhile, MD Anderson may receive royalties and future payments based on milestones as they are obtained. But the real reward will be treating patients who were previously low on options.

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Mark Cuban calls AI ‘the greater democratizer’ for young entrepreneurs

eyes on AI

Texas billionaire Mark Cuban—whose investment portfolio includes Houston-based Holliball, a startup that makes and sells large inflatable holiday ornaments—believes AI is leveling the playing field for budding low-income entrepreneurs.

At the recent Clover x Shark Tank Summit in Las Vegas, the Shark Tank alum called AI “the greater democratizer.”

Cuban told Axios that free and low-cost AI tools enable disadvantaged teenagers to compete with seasoned professionals.

“Right now, if you’re a 14- to 18-year-old and you’re in not-so-good circumstances, you have access to the best professors and the best consultants,” Cuban said. “It allows people who otherwise would not have access to any resources to have access to the best resources in real time. You can compete with anybody.”

While Cuban believes AI is “the great democratizer” for low-income young people, low-income workers still face hurdles in navigating the AI landscape, according to Public Works Partners, an urban planning and consulting firm. The firm says access to AI among low-income workers may be limited due to cost, insufficient digital literacy and infrastructure gaps.

“Without adequate resources and training, these workers may struggle to adapt to AI-driven workplaces or access the educational opportunities necessary to acquire new skills,” Public Works Partners said.

Texas 2036, a public policy organization focused on the state’s future, reported in January AI jobs in Texas are projected to grow 27 percent over the next decade. The number 2036 refers to the year when Texas will celebrate its bicentennial.

As for the current state of AI, Cuban said he doesn’t think the economy is witnessing an AI bubble comparable to the dot-com bubble, which lasted from 1998 to 2000.

“The difference is, the improvement in technology basically slowed to a trickle,” Cuban said of the dot-com era. “We’re nowhere near the improvement in technology slowing to a trickle in AI.”

CPRIT hires MD Anderson official as chief cancer prevention officer

new hire

The Austin-based Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, which provides funding for cancer research across the state, has hired Ruth Rechis as its chief prevention officer. She comes to CPRIT from Houston’s University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she led the Cancer Prevention and Control Platform.

Before joining MD Anderson, Rechis was a member of the executive leadership team at the Livestrong Foundation, an Austin-based nonprofit that supports people affected by cancer.

“Ruth has widespread connections throughout the cancer prevention community, both in Texas and across the nation,” CPRIT CEO Kristen Doyle said in a news release. “She is a long-term passionate supporter of CPRIT, and she is very familiar with our process, programs, and commitment to transparency. Ruth is a terrific addition to the team here at CPRIT.”

Rechis said that by collaborating with researchers, policymakers, public health leaders and community partners, CPRIT “can continue to drive forward proven prevention strategies that improve health outcomes, lower long-term costs, and create healthier futures for all.”

At MD Anderson, Rechis and her team worked with more than 100 organizations in Texas to bolster cancer prevention initiatives at clinics and community-based organizations.

Rechis is a longtime survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymph nodes, which are part of a person’s immune system.