In episode 2 and 3, we meet Sahar Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn-Khosrovani, PhD and Pharmacist, Medicine & Society at CZ Health Insurance and Member of the National Payer’s Evaluation Committee for Specialized Medicines and Companion Diagnostics (CieBAG). This committee decides on the reimbursement of medicines and molecular diagnostics in The Netherlands. Furthermore, she is affiliated with Leiden University Medical Center. In episode 2, Sahar talks about pragmatic reimbursement in DRUP-like clinical trials and in episode 3, access and funding of Molecular Tumor Boards are addressed, using The Netherlands as an example.
PCM4EU is happy to announce that the first four episodes in our podcast series are now available both on the PCM4EU YouTube channel and on our training webpages.
Testbed Sweden Precision Health Cancer is a national collaborative project for the design and method development of precision medicine treatment studies – for a more equal and sustainable health and cancer care where every patient and resident is offered accurate and individually tailored prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up based on their unique conditions, such as genetic profile and specific biomarkers.
Cancer is one of our greatest global societal challenges. To meet this, we must create better conditions for research and innovation. Precision health is a very important part of the work to achieve better results for patients and has great potential to improve cancer care along the entire cancer spectrum. If implemented correctly, precision health enables the capacity to prevent, manage and treat cancer fairly and effectively.
Testbed Sweden Precision Health Cancer is an innovation hub for clinical studies that works to facilitate the introduction of more accurate prevention and treatment in cancer care. The initiators are Vision Zero Cancer, Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) and SciLifeLab.
With funding from Vinnova and the strategic innovation program Swelife, a joint venture by Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas. The project is part of Vinnova’s program “Sustainable Precision Health” 2021-2026.
The overall objectives of the innovation environment are to contribute to:
Increased access to and participation in clinical studies
Increased precision in prevention and diagnostics
More effective medical treatments and techniques
Increased use of existing infrastructure
Increased internationalisation
Mission
Test Bed Sweden for Precision Health in Cancer will develop a model to stimulate the development of national precision medicine studies, including new study designs, processes and technologies as well as contribute to the development of new precision diagnostic tools and the development of a model for a national MTB portal (Molecular Tumor Board). The model development also includes support for data analysis and data sharing, health economic tools to validate cost-effectiveness and sustainability, payment models, training efforts and adaptation of guidelines and other knowledge support within cancer care for cohesive patient journeys.
To enable large-scale implementation of a national, sustainable, and equal implementation of precision health in cancer care, models and methods need to be tested in a real environment. The project parties therefore intend to develop the Innovation hub into a system demonstrator that enables the translational process and that promotes the use of existing structures such as clinical trial units. Treating clinics, national and international research consortia are offered the opportunity for innovation consulting for innovative design of precision medicine studies and to test, demonstrate and iterate the models, methods and tools that are developed within the innovation environment.
This collaboration enables the generation, evaluation and valuation of evidence for precision medicine prevention, diagnostics, treatment and follow-up. This creates the conditions to accelerate the transformation and modernization of cancer care in a sustainable and equal way, to the benefit of the individual patient and society at large.
The innovation hub is delimited from the implementation and results of individual clinical studies.
Work and collaboration within Nollvision cancer / Testbed Sweden
Testbed Sweden is based on Vision Zero Cancers established form of cross-sector partnerships, community of values and culture for cooperation and mutual learning and which is based on trust, courage, and action. The environments are run in accordance with VINNOVA’s conditions in separate projects regarding budget, partner constellation, steering group and roadmap. There are natural synergies and leverage effects that are used between the environments and the partner constellations.
In accordance with VINNOVA’s prerequisites, the Innovation hub must work based on the approach that objectives and form of cooperation are driven based on the needs of the end user and to enable system innovation with the help of new working methods, solutions, innovation, research, experiments, activities, and policy changes. The innovation environments must work systematically with communication to spread the environment’s goals and vision, engage society at all levels and attract new relevant actors, including international visibility and connection to international actors and initiatives. Furthermore, the environments must work with continuous environmental monitoring to relate to, attract and include ongoing initiatives and work for women and men to have the same power to shape society and their own lives.
Testbed Sweden Precision Health Cancer works through a flexible and dynamic collaboration with Nollvision cancer where the parties contribute their respective perspectives, skills and capacities in activities and efforts.
The operational progress of the innovation environments towards set goals is ensured by an operational coordination office led by Ebba Hallersjö Hult at the research institute SIR at the Stockholm School of Economics together with a steering group in each environment and an active collaboration between the Parties and external actors. The steering groups consist of appointed people from each project party. It is a balanced group of women and men with complementary skills and experiences who represent various actors from healthcare, academia, the public sector, business and civil society. For the coordination of Testbed Sweden Precision Health Cancer, Vision Zero Cancers coordination office and the office of GMS cooperate.
Shortly we will launch Testbed Sweden Precision Health Cancer own webb!
There we will tell you more about our innovation portfolio, internationalisations, collaborations and mission oriented work!
HomeSweden launches testbed for clinical trials in cancer care
Sweden launches testbed for clinical trials in cancer care
Vision Zero Cancer and Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) join forces with SciLifeLab, public sector authorities, regions, healthcare, academia, industry and patient associations to create an innovation milieu that facilitates the introduction of more precise prevention and treatment in cancer care.
Through the call Innovation milieus within Precision Health 2021, The Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, has chosen to invest in 11 innovation milieus in precision health that will pave the way for more prevention, precision, and equity in healthcare and contribute to strengthening Sweden as a life science nation.
– For cancer patients, this is a piece of the puzzle that enables the development of new innovations so that more people can live longer and better. This initiative consolidates Vision Zero Cancer as a national point of contact for system innovation and strengthens our ambition to spread the Vision Zero globally says Ebba Hallersjö Hult, co-founder and head of Vision Zero Cancer and Test Bed Sweden.
Ebba Hallersjö Hult. Photo: Micke Lundström.
– GMS is very pleased to participate in this broad consortium that together can move the positions for national clinical studies in cancer in Sweden. At GMS, we are already working on a national, structured implementation of genomics-based precision medicine and we look forward to working together furthering more clinical studies, says Anders Edsjö, Vice Chairman of GMS management team, Section Head and Senior Molecular Pathologist at Clinical Genetics and Pathology, Region Skåne.
Anders Edsjö. Photo: Nooreldin Zendehrokh.
The research institute SIR at the Stockholm School of Economics is the coordinator for Vision Zero Cancer and for the new innovation milieu “Test Bed Sweden for Clinical Trials and Implementation of Precision Health in Cancer Care”, which has been granted funding for five years by Vinnova and which will be part of the national strategic innovation program Swelife.
The patient perspective is central to the initiative
– The Network against Cancer looks forward to the joint work within the testbed with a focus on co-creation with patients and relatives. We see great opportunities to push for a faster roll-out of clinical studies and the implementation of precision medicine, says Margareta Haag, Chair of the Network against Cancer.
Margareta Haag. Photo: private.
Comprised in the Life Science strategy, the government has a stated ambition that Sweden should be a pioneer for the introduction of precision medicine in healthcare. Predictions suggest that precision medicine is likely to grow primarily in cancer care over the next decade. In 10 years, between 300 and 400 new immunotherapies, targeted drugs and tumour agnostic drugs could be approved.
– Conducting clinical studies within healthcare is a prerequisite for patients in Sweden to be able to take part of the fantastic opportunities brought by precision medicine. The initiative Vinnova has now decided to finance will advance the positions for how we conduct clinical studies, which in turn means increased stimulation and prerequisites for more pharmaceutical companies to place their studies in Sweden and thereby contribute to the development of precision medicine, says Frida Lundmark, expert policy at Lif – the research pharmaceutical companies.
Frida Lundmark. Photo: Lif.
Wide range of actors behind the initiative
Test Bed Sweden is an add-on and further development of the Vinnova-funded innovation milieu Vision Zero Cancer established in 2019 with the long-term vision that no one should have to die of cancer. Behind the Test Bed initiative and application are 16 different actors (see box below). The range of actors is something seen as a key to succeed.
– By developing and implementing precision medicine through diagnostics and treatment in clinical routine, there is a good chance to reach the Vision Zero. Giving patients faster access to effective and nationally equitable precision health in the field of cancer is crucial, says Hans Hägglund, Sweden’s national cancer coordinator and co-founder of Vision Zero Cancer and Test Bed Sweden.
Hans Hägglund. Photo: Micke Lundström.
– Sweden needs an innovation milieu to stimulate and facilitate national clinical studies within precision medicine for patients with cancer. We have gathered a number of important players who need to be involved to make this possible. The testbed has national and international reach to initiatives and groups of actors that can contribute and collaborate in this endeavor, concludes Richard Rosenquist Brandell, Chairman of GMS management team, Professor and Senior Physician in Clinical Genetics at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital.
Richard Rosenquist Brandell. Photo: Rick Guidotti.
Behind the initiative and application are the following actors: Vision Zero Cancer, Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS), Regional Cancer Centres (RCC), The Medical Products Agency, The Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV), SciLifeLab, the consortium behind the clinical trial Megalit coordinated by Uppsala University Hospital in Region Uppsala, Stockholm School of Economics, Halmstad University, the Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE), the Network against Cancer, Lung Cancer Association, Lif – the research pharmaceutical companies, Swedish Medtech and Ascro.
Vision Zero Cancer challenges the prevailing ecosystem and connects new ones. We are going to turn cancer from a deadly into a curable or chronic disease.
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The first PCM4EU podcast episodes are live!
