Disruption in Cancer Care: How Jim Foote' AI is Revolutionizing Oncology

Jim Foote, CEO of First Ascent Biomedical, is revolutionizing cancer care with an AI-driven, functional precision medicine platform. Inspired by his son's battle, Foote's technology analyzes a patient's tumor to identify the most effective treatments, moving from a "one-size-fits-all" approach to data-driven, personalized care.

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Oct. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2025, over 2 million new cancer cases are projected in the United States, yet standard treatment fails one-third of patients. ^(1,2) Jim Foote, CEO of First Ascent Biomedical, is challenging this reality with a technology-driven approach inspired by his son's cancer diagnosis. In a recent episode of the Disruption/Interruption podcast with host Karla Jo Helms, Foote explained how his company is giving new hope to families by making cancer care truly personal. "I literally have gone from trying and hoping to testing and choosing," Foote stated, encapsulating the shift from uncertainty to data-driven precision in oncology.

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All Cancer Care

For decades, the standard of care in oncology has treated patients based on broad protocols, grouping individuals by cancer type rather than their unique biological makeup. This system, while effective for many, leaves a significant portion of patients with limited options when treatments fail. As Foote explains, "The standard of care treats us based on everybody that hopefully looks like me."

This approach is particularly frustrating for doctors treating complex cases or pediatric patients. "If you and I got the same cancer, we would be treated exactly the same way," Foote notes. Doctors are often left "grasping at straws" when a patient doesn't respond to the standard protocol. This gap in the system highlights the urgent need for a more individualized strategy.

Functional Precision Medicine: A New Frontier

First Ascent Biomedical is pioneering a solution with its functional precision medicine platform. Instead of relying solely on generic protocols, the company tests up to 152 FDA-approved drugs directly on a patient's live tumor cells. "We provide the doctor a list of which drugs work and more importantly, which drugs don't," says Foote. This data, combined with genomics and analyzed by a proprietary AI engine, maps out every weakness in the patient's tumor.

This innovative model provides oncologists with a ranked list of effective treatments tailored to the individual, empowering them to make data-informed decisions. Foote's vision is clear: "Upon primary diagnosis, we can tell you what drugs work, we can tell you which drugs don't work, and then give that data to the doctor to choose the best individual protocol." This convergence of AI, robotics, and advanced drug testing is making personalized cancer treatment faster, more affordable, and more effective than ever.

Links

Disrupting Cancer Treatment: From Personal Mission to a New Precision
Medicine Platform with Jim Foote

https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-cancer-treatment-from-personal-mission-to-a-new-precision-medicine-platform-with-jim-foote

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-foote

Company Website: https://firstascentbiomedical.com/

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.

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About Disruption Interruption™

Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.

About Jim Foote

Jim Foote is the CEO and Co-Founder of First Ascent Biomedical, a pioneering company advancing AI-driven Functional Precision Medicine to personalize cancer care. A lifelong technologist and entrepreneur, Foote has dedicated his career to harnessing automation, data, and machine learning to solve complex problems—none more personal than cancer.

After losing his 16-year-old son, Trey, to the disease, Foote turned tragedy into mission. Determined to change the story for families facing similar words—"We're sorry, but there are few options left"—he founded First Ascent Biomedical to ensure that every patient has access to individualized, data-driven treatment options. Under his leadership, the company has developed a Drug Prediction Platform that integrates functional drug testing, multi-omics sequencing, and AI-guided tumor analysis to match patients with the most effective therapeutic solutions within weeks.

Prior to founding First Ascent, Foote spent over two decades leading global technology and data systems initiatives across finance, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity. His expertise in building scalable, high-performance systems now fuels his mission to modernize oncology, making personalized medicine accessible, explainable, and clinically actionable.

Through his work, Foote is helping to redefine how the world fights cancer—transforming treatment from trial and error to precision and proof.

About Karla Jo Helms

Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.

References

1. Siegel, Rebecca L., et al. "Cancer Statistics, 2025." CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, vol. 75, no. 1, 16 Jan. 2025, acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21871, doi.org/10.3322/caac.21871.
2. World Health Organization. "Global Cancer Burden Growing, amidst Mounting Need for Services." WHO, 2024, who.int/news/item/01-02-2024-global-cancer-burden-growing--amidst-mounting-need-for-services.

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