Perioperative Pivot: Elevating FLOT to New Heights in Resectable Gastric/GEJ Cancer

Challenge Number : #01

Join this challenge to test your novel agent with the FLOT backbone in fresh gastric resection tissues, aiming to double pathological complete response (pCR) rates beyond the current ~7-19% and transform perioperative outcomes in a rapidly evolving market.

Challenge Entry Fee: $10,000.00

Reward Amount: $400,000

Description

The FLOT regimen (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, docetaxel) is the established perioperative standard for resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma, yet pCR rates remain suboptimal—typically 7-15% with FLOT alone and up to ~19% even with recent additions like durvalumab (per MATTERHORN trial data). This leaves a significant gap in achieving deeper tumor eradication, reducing recurrence risk, and improving long-term survival in a disease with high mortality.

FUSIONx invites biotechs to nominate complementary assets (e.g., novel immunotherapies, targeted agents, or ADCs) to combine with FLOT, tested on high-volume, fresh resection specimens (stomach/lymph nodes) using our clinically validated ex-vivo platform. By capturing full human tumor microenvironment dynamics, we identify synergies that could substantially boost pCR rates, enhance event-free survival, and position the combo for guideline inclusion or rapid clinical advancement. Success here offers massive market potential in the $8B+ gastric cancer space, with strong exit appeal to innovators protecting perioperative IO or targeted pipelines.

Standalone Compound Assessment
The Participation Framework

STRATEGIC TERMS & INCENTIVES

Empowering Biotech Innovation through Flexible Collaboration

The Investment Model:

  • Entry Protocol: $10,000 total entry fee.
  • Performance Prize: $400,000 cash award for compounds achieving ≥50% synergy across 5 human tissues.
  • The “Near-Miss” Accelerator: Compounds achieving 40–50% synergy receive a complimentary validation across 5 additional tissues.
  • Enhanced Assessment: Optional Standalone Assessment available for an additional $10,000.
  • Pathways to Commercialization (The Dual-Choice Model): To ensure IP security and alignment, participants select one of two specialized commercial paths upon a successful match:
  • Path A (The Prize Path): Receive the $400,000 cash prize plus a 45% equity stake in a FUSIONx-led spin-off entity for the combo.
  • Path B (The Ownership Path): Retain 100% IP and ownership of the combination and spin-off. FUSIONx waives the cash prize in exchange for a minor royalty/milestone interest (10%).

 

The Logistics Flow

  • Submission: Fill out dosing data and pay Participation Fee ($10,000) via Stripe.
  • Delivery: Receive compound shipping instructions for the Israel lab.
  • Analysis: Lab performs functional synergy testing against the anchor asset.
  • Finalization: Receive the full Synergy Report.

 

The Win/Win Outcomes

  • The Prize: The best match among the first 40 submittors wins the reward (split if multiple winners).
  • The Value: Even if not winning, participants get a report on their compound’s synergy performance on 5 tissues.
  • Optional: Participants can get a report on their compound’s standalone performance on 5 tissues for an additional $10,000.