SOTIO a.s. is a Czech biotechnology company developing new medicinal products focused on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company is engaged in research on its own platform of active cellular immunotherapy based on dendritic cells, with the aim of significantly improving this treatment and making it more accessible to patients. In its own state-of-the-art facility, which meets the strictest requirements for the sterile preparation of medicinal products for cell therapy, the company conducts research into the role of dendritic cells in the therapeutic activation of the immune system and verifies their efficacy in clinical trials. SOTIO a.s. works closely with the Institute of Immunology of the Second Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and with the Motol University Hospital. Leading world experts in the treatment and research of immunotherapy and tumor growth are involved in the process of preparing and conducting the clinical studies.
SOTIO a.s. is part of the portfolio of companies of the PPF investment and finance group, which has long contributed to the company's development both financially and in terms of management.
Starting situation
One part of SOTIO a.s. is its research section, which deals with preclinical studies and basic research on the samples under investigation. Dr. Fialová works in this research part of the company, and her goal is to analyze samples as part of preclinical studies. The studies mainly involve patients with head and neck tumors and ovarian tumors. Various statistical approaches are applied to the samples under investigation; sometimes the data have high variability, sometimes only small sample sizes are available, and so on. The requirement was therefore for software that could offer a wide range of methods for processing the data.
The client's requirements
As already mentioned, the main requirement was software containing the key tests for the field of biomedical research. Another requirement was simplicity and intuitive operation. RNDr. Anna Fialová, Ph.D., says of the purchase: „I already knew the software from university, so the choice was easy. I appreciate that you don't have to set up much yourself.“ The goal for SOTIO a.s. was to buy analytical software that would offer not only a large number of analytical methods but also a wide range of options for data visualization. „In the STATISTICA software, I also appreciate the large number of settings and the ability to combine different graphical outputs,“ adds Dr. Fialová.
Implementation process
The software installation was trouble-free and was carried out in-house. No technical support was needed during installation, nor was any training in operating the software, since Dr. Fialová already knew the software from university.
Cooperation with the supplier
The cooperation with the supplier was thoroughly professional in all phases. I also appreciate being able to ask the Support department about anything.
RNDr. Anna Fialová, Ph.D.
To deepen her knowledge, Dr. Fialová completed the professional course Survival Analysis, which she rated very positively. As part of the cooperation, an educational seminar was also held at SOTIO a.s., in which a large number of staff were trained. The how-to articles and other educational materials available to users are also viewed positively.
Final situation
Experimental data are regularly evaluated in the STATISTICA software. SOTIO a.s.'s research focuses on the immunotherapy of cancer diseases and the use of new treatment procedures in practical medicine. In recent years, research has confirmed that the human immune system is able to recognize and specifically destroy tumor cells. The goal of the research projects is to understand the processes that determine an active immune response against tumor cells in the body and to use them in developing drugs that support the initiation of the patient's anti-tumor immune response.
The STATISTICA software tool meets the above-mentioned requirements for a modern analytical tool. Outputs from the STATISTICA software are published in articles and research reports. The options for saving custom graphical templates are also viewed positively.