TMCnet News
Cancer MoonShot 2020 Announces Head and Neck Working Group and the Launch of GPS Cancer™ at ASCO 2016Cancer MoonShot 2020, the world's most comprehensive cancer collaborative initiative, today announced the formation of the Head and Neck Working Group. The team consists of scientists, physicians, and oncology professors from across the nation who have come together to focus their collective wisdom and expertise to identify and develop the most effective cancer-directed immunotherapy treatments for Head and Neck cancers. Experts within the group will collaborate to develop clinical trial protocols, carefully studying elements such as standard of care, GPS Cancer test factors, patient selection, and appropriate combination immunotherapy approaches. GPS Cancer, offered by NantHealth, is a unique, comprehensive test integrating quantitative proteomics, and whole genome (DNA) and transcriptome (RNA) sequencing of tumor and normal germline samples to provide oncologists with a comprehensive molecular profile of a patient's cancer to inform personalized treatment strategies and identify therapies that may have clinical benefit for the patient, including Quantitative Integrative Lifetime Trials (QUILT). GPS Cancer is performed in the CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratories of NantOmics. Key benefits of the Working Group branches of study include:
"By bringing together thought leaders and visionaries in the Head and Neck caner arena, we're continuing to support and execute against our mission of winning the war against cancer," explained Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, founder and CEO of NantWorks and leader of the Cancer MoonShot 2020 network. "Leveraging the clinical expertise of these members of the Working Group will continue to expand our network of knowledge base in immunotherapy as the next generation of standard of care in cancer patients." The Head and Neck Working Group will be co-chaired by John Lee, MD, Associate Professor at Sanford Health and Howard Krein, MD, PhD, Senior Director of Health Policy and Innovation at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC), the Co-Director of Herbert Kean Center for Facial Aesthetics at Thomas Jefferson University and the Chief Medical Officer at StartUp Health. The two will spearhead the team's efforts with regular meetings and development of protocols. "By using the latest technology, we are striving to improve prevention, early detection and treatment of these tumors. Novel strategies such as vaccines and immunotherapies may decrease the incidence of these tumors and allow for new less harmful treatment modalities to help cure those already effected," said Howard Krein, MD, PhD. "Head and neck cancers offer an opportunity to utilize Immune Oncology treatments to improve cure rates in a cancer type. The early data shows they are responsive to immune-based approaches," said Dr. John Lee. "The Moonshot protocols will offer the best ability to diagnose these tumors using the whole genome sequencing and quantitative RNA/proteomic analysis. In addition, the multiple combinations of cellular therapy, viral therapy and checkpoints."
About Cancer MoonShot 2020
About GPS Cancer™
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160608005786/en/ |
