MDS Foundation Partners with Notable Labs to Advance Therapies for MDS Patients

Rare Daily Staff

The MDS Foundation has partnered with Notable Labs to advance clinical trials of experimental therapies for myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare group of blood disorders that occur as a result of disordered development of blood cells within the bone marrow.

Notable Labs has developed an AI-based automated lab platform that predicts which types of patients may respond to a drug to advance cancer drug development, while the MDS Foundation provides insight and information to families on upcoming clinical trials for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Working together, they plan to match patients to effective drug therapies and more quickly move them toward approval for the benefit of all MDS patients.

MDS is a group of disorders in which dysfunctional blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) fail to develop normally and enter the bloodstream resulting in abnormally low blood cell levels. General symptoms associated with MDS include fatigue, dizziness, weakness, bruising and bleeding, frequent infections, and headaches. In some affected individuals, MDS may progress to life-threatening failure of the bone marrow or develop into an acute leukemia. The exact cause of MDS is unknown. There are no clear risk factors but genetics and the environment may play a part.

As part of the partnership, Notable is providing a grant to support MDSF’s education and advocacy efforts on behalf of MDS patients and their support network. Notable and MDSF will work closely together to engage physicians, biopharmaceutical companies, health authorities, and clinical trial organizations to collaborate on novel clinical trial designs.

Under the collaboration, educational patient-facing information highlighting key details about the trials in easy to understand descriptions will be communicated in various formats including social media, email, print, video, and on the MDS Foundation’s website. The MDS Foundation will also help connect the Notable team with MDS research through its Centers of Excellence network on available clinical trials, new research and treatment options.

The partnership marks the MDS Foundation’s first time working with a scientific technology platform like Notable Labs.

“Notable has breakthrough technology for accelerating drug development and precision medicine, matching patients with effective therapies,” said Tracey Iraca, executive director of the MDS Foundation. 

Photo: Tracey Iraca, executive director of the MDS Foundation.