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# Companies, Partners, Expand I/O Therapies
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/companies-partners-expand-i-o-therapies/
- Published: 2016-03-08T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T02:41:47.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5134998

> The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development says that immuno/oncology (I/O) research aimed at treating at least 28 types of tumors “is taking alliances between pharma, biotech companies, and universities and cancer centers to new heights.” The latest Tufts [*Impact Report*](http://csdd.tufts.edu/reports/impact%5Freports?ref=fdaweb.com) (subscription or purchase required) says that more than 130 biotech and 20 drug companies are developing I/O therapies.  
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> There are many challenges involved in developing I/O therapies, the report says. Developers are looking for validated biomarkers that will increase the likelihood of clinical success, shorten development time, and reduce costs. In addition, the Tufts experts say, because I/O therapy is essentially a personalized medicine, organizations running clinical trials will be harder pressed to find sufficient volunteers from even more narrowly defined populations that I/O therapies seek to address.  
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> The range of tumors in clinical trials spanned 10 liquid cancers and 18 solid tumors in 2013-15, Tufts says. The lead I/O technology has been cell engineering using one of three methods — the CAR-T approach that manipulates a patient’s own T cells against their cancer, the TCR approach in which T cells are engineered and used “off the shelf” in multiple patients, or natural killer cell receptor engineering.  
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> AstraZeneca, Roche, and Merck lead the drug industry in I/O alliances with small biotech and other enterprises. Tufts says the alliances are combining myriad I/O cancer therapies involving various combinations of new I/O monoclonal antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines, and small molecules.  
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> The analysis found that drug companies are working with 13 leading universities and cancer centersand that Vice President Biden’s “moon shot” to cure cancer is likely to accelerate I/O research and development at universities and cancer centers.  
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> The number of I/O alliances between pharma/big biotech and small enterprises grew from six in 2013 to 58 in 2015 as a result of unprecedented high patient complete response rates in leukemia due to novel product discoveries, the report says. Funds the partners committed to support joint I/O research increased from $2.8 billion in 2013 to $22.5 billion in 2015\. Tufts cautions that the figures are only a partial picture, since commitments were disclosed for only 87 of 111 partnerships.