Medidata and Syapse Announce Partnership to Bring Oncology Clinical Trials into Precision Medicine Era

New York and San Francisco, Calif. (January 31, 2018)-Medidata (NASDAQ: MDSO), the leading global provider of cloud-based technology and data analytics for clinical research, and Syapse, a market leader in precision medicine solutions, have announced a new partnership to transform oncology clinical trials for the age of precision medicine.   Medidata and Syapse will jointly develop a portfolio of solutions to make it easier for cancer patients to access potentially life-saving clinical trials, with a focus on democratizing access for patients in community health systems.   The partnership will initially build products to assist trial sponsors in designing eligibility criteria, identify community health systems as trial sites, and enable oncologists and their care teams to easily identify patients for enrollment into cutting-edge clinical trials.   In 2017, the approval of novel drugs in the U.S. hit a 21-year high, with many targeting rare diseases and types of cancer. The continued growth of precision medicine compounds the challenges of finding the right patients for the right trials in oncology. This approach segments populations based on both traditional clinical factors and novel molecular characteristics, thus reducing population sizes for targeted therapy and immunotherapy trials.   “With oncology becoming increasingly focused on targeted therapy and immunotherapy, it is necessary to rethink our approach to clinical trial design in order to fully realize the vision of precision medicine,” said Glen de Vries, Medidata president and co-founder. “We’re excited to partner with Syapse to bring this vision to reality. By working at the intersection of health systems and the life sciences industry, Syapse and Medidata can both increase access to innovative clinical trials and accelerate the development of novel cancer therapies.”   Medidata’s solutions power clinical trials for 18 of the world’s top 25 pharmaceutical companies, and Syapse solutions power precision medicine for nearly 300 hospitals across 25 states. The partnership aims to bring these products to pharmaceutical companies and health systems at scale over the coming years.   “Syapse and Medidata are coming together to democratize access to clinical trials for patients across the country,” said Ken Tarkoff, CEO of Syapse. “The many targeted cancer therapies in development today can save patients’ lives, but only if we improve clinical trials so they reach the patients who can benefit from them. Syapse and Medidata are uniquely positioned to tackle this problem, at an unparalleled scale, because of our combined partnerships with community health systems and life sciences companies.”     About Medidata Medidata is reinventing global drug and medical device development by creating the industry's leading cloud-based solutions for clinical research. Through our advanced applications and intelligent data analytics, Medidata helps advance the scientific goals of life sciences customers worldwide, including more than 950 global pharmaceutical companies, innovative biotech, diagnostic and device firms, leading academic medical centers, and contract research organizations.   The Medidata Clinical Cloud® brings a new level of quality and efficiency to clinical trials that empower our customers to make more informed decisions earlier and faster. Our unparalleled clinical trial data assets provide deep insights that pave the way for future growth. The Medidata Clinical Cloud is the primary technology solution powering clinical trials for 18 of the world's top 25 global pharmaceutical companies and is used by 18 of the top 25 medical device developers-from study design and planning through execution, management and reporting.   About Syapse Syapse is on a mission to deliver the best care for every cancer patient through precision medicine. Our software platform, data sharing network, and industry partnerships enable healthcare providers to bring precision cancer care to every patient who needs it. By bringing together leading healthcare innovators into a unified ecosystem, we are working toward a future in which all cancer patients have access to the best personalized care, regardless of location or income. Our customers-including Intermountain Healthcare, Providence St. Joseph Health, Henry Ford Health System, Aurora Health Care, Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health-manage one million active cancer cases at nearly 300 hospitals in 25 states. Headquartered in San Francisco, Syapse is backed by investors including Social Capital, Safeguard Scientifics, Ascension Ventures, GE Ventures, Intermountain Healthcare Innovation Fund, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Medidata Solutions, Roche Venture Fund, and Amgen Ventures.