What if the future of oncology is defined not by where a tumor originates, but by the molecular biology driving it?

In this episode of Early Signals, recorded at ASCO 2026, Wael Harb, MD, MBA, sits down with precision oncology leader Vivek Subbiah, MD, to explore how biomarker-driven drug development is challenging traditional ways of classifying, studying and treating cancer. Dr. Subbiah draws on his experience across hundreds of early-phase clinical studies and the development of tissue-agnostic therapies to trace the shift from organ-based oncology toward a more precise, biology-driven model.

Together, they discuss the evolution of tumor-agnostic drug development, from early basket trials targeting BRAF gene alterations to a future in which genomics, proteomics, immunogenomics and other data could help define increasingly individualized treatment strategies. They also examine the practical challenge this creates for clinical development: as molecularly defined patient populations become smaller, conventional approaches to trial design, patient identification and evidence generation become increasingly difficult to scale.

The conversation also looks ahead to the potential role of AI in interpreting increasingly complex multiomics data, identifying rational treatment combinations and helping researchers navigate a future in which, as Dr. Subbiah puts it, cancer at the molecular level can resemble a “malignant snowflake.”

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why tumor biology and biomarkers are increasingly challenging traditional organ-based definitions of cancer
• How basket trials and tissue-agnostic development can expand treatment opportunities across rare molecular subsets
• Why increasingly precise patient populations create new challenges for clinical trial feasibility and evidence generation
• How AI could help integrate multiomics data and identify potential treatment combinations at scale
• What emerging modalities and biomarker-driven strategies could mean for the next era of precision oncology

The views expressed in this podcast belong solely to the speakers and do not represent those of their organization.

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