Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance Welcomes The Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center

The Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center joins Caris' extensive network of leading cancer institutions committed to utilizing clinical data to advance patient care and outcomes

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences^®(Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize health care, announced today that The University of Tennessee Medical Center's (UTMC) Cancer Institute has joined Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance™ (POA). The POA is a growing network of leading cancer centers across the globe that collaborate to advance precision oncology and biomarker-driven research. POA members work together to establish and optimize standards of care for molecular testing through innovative research focused on predictive and prognostic markers that improve the clinical outcomes for cancer patients.

UTMC, a Magnet® recognized hospital, Level I Trauma Center and regional academic medical center, serves as a major referral center for East Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. As the largest provider of cancer care in the region, the Cancer Institute offers the broadest spectrum of cancer specialists and services to care for the local adult population, with research as its cornerstone of knowledge.

"We are proud to join the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance," said John L. Bell, M.D., Director of the Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. "As cancer treatments become more sophisticated and personalized, having access to the most recent, ever-changing molecular testing helps our providers choose the best cancer treatment for each patient. It is truly an honor to join this prestigious group of institutions and make this testing available to patients in East Tennessee and beyond through cutting-edge precision oncology research."  

"We're excited to welcome The University of Tennessee Medical Center's Cancer Institute into the growing Caris Precision Oncology Alliance network and look forward to collaborating with its clinicians and investigators to advance clinical and translational research," said Chadi Nabhan, M.D., MBA, FACP, Chairman of the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance. "The University of Tennessee Medical Center's addition to the POA advances our precision oncology research portfolio aiming to improve the outcomes of patients with cancer."

The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance includes 73 cancer centers and academic institutions. These institutions have early access to the extensive database and artificial intelligence platform within Caris to establish evidence-based standards for cancer profiling and advance research in cancer precision medicine. By leveraging the comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling available through Caris molecular profiling, Caris seeks to provide this network with the ability to prioritize therapeutic options and determine which clinical trial opportunities may benefit their patients. POA members are also able to integrate with a growing portfolio of biomarker directed trials sponsored by biopharma. Additionally, as a member of the POA, institutions have access to Caris CODEai™, the most comprehensive data solution in the industry with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 275,000 patients covering over 1 million data points per patient.

About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences® (Caris) is the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize healthcare and improve patient outcomes. Through comprehensive molecular profiling (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing) and the application of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms, Caris has created the large-scale clinico-genomic database and cognitive computing needed to analyze and unravel the molecular complexity of disease. This information provides an unmatched resource and the ideal path forward to conduct the basic, fundamental research to accelerate discovery for detection, diagnosis, monitoring, therapy selection and drug development to improve the human condition.

With a primary focus on cancer, Caris' suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps patients, physicians and researchers better detect, diagnose and treat patients. Caris' latest advancement is a blood-based, circulating nucleic acids sequencing (cNAS) assay that combines comprehensive molecular analysis (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing from blood) and serial monitoring – making it the most powerful liquid biopsy assay ever developed.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris has offices in Phoenix, New York, Denver, Tokyo, Japan and Basel, Switzerland. Caris provides services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).

About The University of Tennessee Medical Center:
The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC), a Magnet® recognized hospital also certified by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UTMC is a 710-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, with a regional network of primary care and specialty care physicians and practices as well as outpatient regional health centers and urgent care locations throughout its 21-county primary service area. The medical center, the region's ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center and state designated regional perinatal referral center with a Level III private room NICU, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. UTMC features nine Centers of Excellence, including the Brain & Spine Institute, Cancer Institute, Emergency & Trauma Center, Heart Lung Vascular Institute, Orthopaedic Institute, Center for Complex Medicine, Center for Perioperative Medicine, Primary Care Collaborative and Center for Women & Infants. Visit UTMedicalCenter.org for more information. 

Caris Life Sciences Media Contact:
Lisa Burgner
[email protected] 
214.294.5606

The University of Tennessee Medical Center Media Contact:
Laura Dean
[email protected]
865.305.6082

SOURCE Caris Life Sciences