First Ascent Biomedical Names Dr. Gilberto Lopes Chairman of Its Medical Advisory Board

University of Miami medical oncology chief and Sylvester global oncology leader will guide scientific strategy, clinical evidence and the responsible advancement of Functional Precision Oncology

MIAMI, Fla., Aug. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- First Ascent Biomedical, a precision oncology company developing biology-driven cancer treatment decision support, today announced the appointment of Gilberto Lopes, M.D., as Chairman of the company's Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Lopes is Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He also serves as Associate Director for Global Oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Sylvester is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in South Florida. Its NCI designation was renewed in 2024 with an "Outstanding" score, recognizing the center's scientific leadership, research accomplishments, community engagement and commitment to training the next generation of cancer researchers and physicians.

Dr. Lopes is an internationally recognized medical oncologist and clinical investigator whose work spans anticancer drug development, global oncology, clinical trials, cancer policy, health economics and patient access. He has published more than 300 scientific papers and led hundreds of clinical trials. He was the principal investigator of KEYNOTE-042, a pivotal clinical trial that contributed to an FDA approval of pembrolizumab for certain patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

As Chairman of First Ascent's Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Lopes will help guide the company's scientific strategy and continued evidence-development priorities. His responsibilities will include advising on health-economic research, the design and implementation of future clinical studies, the interpretation of First Ascent's clinical results and research from across the precision oncology field, the scientific basis for national FPO advocacy, and the development of the scientific framework for Functional Precision Oncology Centers of Excellence.

"Gilberto is one of the most respected oncology leaders and scientific thought leaders working at the intersection of patient care, clinical research, drug development, policy, health economics and access," said Jim Foote, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of First Ascent Biomedical. "He understands that scientific promise becomes clinically meaningful only when it is supported by rigorous evidence, reproducible standards and physician trust. His leadership will be invaluable as First Ascent helps move Functional Precision Oncology from a promising field toward responsible, evidence-based adoption."

Throughout his career, Dr. Lopes has worked across the continuum of cancer innovation, from caring for individual patients and leading international clinical trials to evaluating health economics, cancer policy, and access to medicines. His experience reflects a central challenge facing precision oncology: ensuring that scientific advances are supported by sufficient evidence and translated into care models that can reach patients beyond a limited number of major academic medical centers.

His appointment comes at an important moment for Functional Precision Oncology and the broader field of Functional Precision Medicine.

In a July 14, 2026 Clinical Notice, the American Society of Clinical Oncology formally distinguished contemporary Functional Precision Medicine from the early-generation chemosensitivity and resistance assays addressed in its 2004 technology assessment and 2011 guideline update. ASCO stated its support for advancing modern FPM to improve clinical outcomes and clarified that the historical documents have been archived, do not reflect modern technology or current ASCO policy, and should not impede research, clinical care or patient access involving contemporary FPM assays.

ASCO specifically advised clinicians, regulatory entities and insurance payers that the archived guidance should not be used in decisions regarding the clinical use or insurance coverage of modern FPM assays. ASCO also stated that it does not currently recommend either for or against the clinical use of contemporary FPM assays because the evidence base continues to mature. The notice does not establish a standard of care or endorse First Ascent, its platform or any other third-party assay.

The ASCO notice uses the broader term Functional Precision Medicine. First Ascent uses Functional Precision Oncology, or FPO, to describe the application of modern functional precision medicine to cancer treatment decision support.

"Functional Precision Oncology is entering a defining stage," said Dr. Lopes. "Genomics has transformed our ability to characterize cancer, but molecular information alone does not always predict how an individual tumor will respond to a specific therapy. The future lies in integrating molecular profiling with direct functional evidence from living tumor cells, and then evaluating that approach through reproducible methods, well-designed clinical studies, transparent reporting and health-economic analysis. If the field maintains that rigor, Functional Precision Oncology can become a trusted complement to the tools oncologists already use and help make treatment decisions more individualized and evidence-based."

Building Evidence, Standards and Access

First Ascent President Raymond Rodriguez-Torres said Dr. Lopes' appointment will strengthen the company's ability to translate a growing body of scientific evidence into clinical pathways that physicians, health systems and payers can evaluate.

"Scientific promise does not automatically become patient access," Rodriguez-Torres said. "It must be translated into evidence physicians trust, data payers can evaluate and workflows health systems can implement. Gilberto's leadership will help us connect rigorous science to real-world adoption, including the development of the scientific framework for FPO Centers of Excellence that can bring advanced decision support closer to patients wherever they receive care."

First Ascent's xDRIVE platform begins with a fresh tumor or blood sample containing viable cancer cells. Those living cells are tested outside the body against potential therapies to observe how an individual patient's cancer responds. The platform then integrates those functional drug-response results with genomic DNA and RNA information and machine-learning-guided analysis to identify tumor vulnerabilities and prioritize potential treatment options for consideration by the treating physician.

The resulting information is intended to support not replace the oncologist's independent clinical judgment and the other clinical, pathological, molecular and patient-specific information available to the care team.

"Dr. Lopes understands the standards of evidence required within academic oncology, clinical research and global cancer care," Foote said. "That perspective will be essential as First Ascent works with physicians, researchers, health systems and other stakeholders to establish a responsible path for Functional Precision Oncology."

About Gilberto Lopes, M.D.

Gilberto Lopes, M.D., is Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology and Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He also serves as Associate Director for Global Oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only NCI-designated cancer center in South Florida.

An internationally recognized medical oncologist and clinical investigator, Dr. Lopes focuses on anticancer drug development, thoracic oncology, clinical trials, cancer policy, health economics and improving access to effective cancer treatment. He has published more than 270 scientific papers and led hundreds of clinical trials.

Dr. Lopes was the principal investigator of KEYNOTE-042, a pivotal international clinical trial evaluating pembrolizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. He has also contributed to the development of chemotherapies, targeted therapies and other approaches addressing specific molecular characteristics of cancer.

As Chairman of First Ascent's Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Lopes will advise the company on the scientific evidence, clinical-study strategy, health-economic research and standards needed to advance Functional Precision Oncology responsibly.

About First Ascent Biomedical

First Ascent Biomedical is a precision oncology company developing patient-specific cancer treatment decision support. Its xDRIVE Ex Vivo Drug Response Identification & Validation Engine combines live-cell functional drug-response testing, genomic DNA and RNA information and machine-learning-guided analysis to provide treating physicians with additional laboratory evidence about an individual patient's cancer.

First Ascent is advancing Functional Precision Oncology through clinical evidence generation, physician collaboration, health-economic research and the development of pathways intended to expand responsible patient access. The company's technology is designed to support, not replace, physician judgment and established clinical, pathological and molecular information.

Media Contact:
Jean Powell
First Ascent Biomedical
[email protected]
360-513-9684
FirstAscentBio.com

Dr. Lopes' University of Miami and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center titles and affiliations are included solely for biographical identification. His appointment to First Ascent Biomedical's Medical Advisory Board is in an independent advisory capacity and does not imply institutional sponsorship or endorsement by the University of Miami, UHealth or Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

SOURCE First Ascent Biomedical