Collaborating to advance cancer research: The International immuno-oncology network (II-ON)
Bristol Myers Squibb has long believed that innovation in cancer research can be accelerated through collaborative research partnerships. That’s why, in 2012, we formed the International Immuno-Oncology Network (II-ON), a global peer-to-peer collaboration between Bristol Myers Squibb and academia that aims to advance Immuno-Oncology (I-O) science through translational medicine to improve patient outcomes.
The II-ON was one of the first networks to bring academia and industry together to further the scientific understanding of I-O. The network has generated cutting-edge data that were helpful in informing the development of new I-O compounds and produced some of the earliest findings on a variety of biomarkers and target identification and validation.
Over the past five years, the II-ON has expanded from 10 to 15 sites and now includes more than 250 investigators working on over 170 projects across 20 tumor types.
Today, through the II-ON, we are collaborating with leading cancer research institutions around the world to generate innovative I-O science, launch biology-driven trials and seek out cutting-edge technologies with the goal of translating research findings into clinical trials and, ultimately, clinical practice.