Crown Bioscience extends deal with NEXT Oncology

US contractor Crown Bioscience has extended its partnership with Phase I cancer trial network NEXT Oncology.

Under the deal Crown will retain exclusive rights to use patient samples sourced from NEXT’s clinical trial network to provide model development services to drug firms. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Crown CEO John Gu said, “Extending this partnership allows us to broaden our portfolio and strengthen our position as a leader in translational oncology platforms and integrated solutions.”

This was echoed by NEXT Oncology CEO Anthony Tolcher, who said the firms would develop highly relevant patient models that Crown’s biopharma partners can use to advance their translational oncology programs.

NEXT Oncology describes itself as the largest private oncology practice in the US with more than 400 referring medical oncologists.

The firm has operations in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston, in Texas; Arlington, Virginia; as well as units in Barcelona and Madrid in Spain.

Next Oncology is partnered with Texas Oncology, a clinical practice that is part of The US Oncology Network, which is a network of community-based oncologists.

News of the extended deal comes a few weeks after NEXT Oncology opened its seventh cancer care center in Houston, Texas. The facility will support Phase I clinical trials with a focus on cancer drug research.

Oncology expansion

Crown has been expanding its oncology business for the past few years.

The process began in 2023 with the acquisition of Hamburg, Germany-based Indivumed Services, a sample analysis and biobanking services firm that works with cancer clinics in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

And, in August last year, the firm partnered with Clinical Trial & Consulting Services to bolster its oncology-focused consulting services.

More recently, last October, Crown expanded its facility in Singapore, introducing new oncology research models and imaging technologies.

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