GNS Healthcare Presents Results of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology at ESMO 2018

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GNS Healthcare (GNS), a leading precision medicine company, presented results in metastatic colorectal cancer this week from their most recent collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance) at the ESMO 2018 conference held in Munich.

The study, titled "Causal modeling of CALGB/SWOG 80405 (Alliance) identifies primary (1°) side-related angiogenic drivers of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)" was selected to be presented in a poster discussion session, Gastrointestinal tumors, colorectal 2 from 4:45-5:45pm local time on Sunday, October 21, and it will be on display for the duration of the conference.

The difference in prognosis and progression between right- and left-sided tumors has long been a puzzle in the field of colorectal cancer research and care. Through this analysis, molecular factors were discovered that may underpin this difference in mCRC outcomes.

Leveraging the powerful REFS platform, GNS and the Alliance used data from more than 2,000 patients with mCRC to build causal models of patient response to two different treatments (cetuximab or bevacizumab).  A novel gene signature (involved in angiogenesis/extracellular matrix remodeling) and a known mutation (BRAF V600E) were shown to be causal drivers and negative prognostic factors of overall survival. They were also found to be more prevalent in patients with right-sided tumors than those with left-sided tumors, and thus delineating the difference in prognosis. The study also examined treatment response and determined that the new gene signature was a potential predictive factor driving response to bevacizumab.

"We are excited by this latest discovery. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. and understanding the unique gene signature that drives disease and prognosis is crucial," said Colin Hill, GNS Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder. "As we discover more and more insights around this disease, we are better able to explore new targets for drug discovery and development and more precisely guide treatment regimens for patients."

"This is a perfect illustration of why I have described cancer research as a team sport.  By combining the experience and skills of clinicians, bench scientists, statisticians and technology wizards, we appear to have asked and answered a question regarding the driving force behind colon cancer.  Now we have a much better chance of stopping it," said Dr. Alan Venook, Study Chair for the CALGB (Alliance) 80405 study, Madden Family Distinguished Professor of Medical Oncology and Translational Research at the University of California-San Francisco, and Shorenstein Associate Director for Program Development at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Earlier results in this collaboration were presented in June 2018 at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.

As one of the most common cancers in the U.S., there are an estimated 140,000 new cases diagnosed each year. There is still much to learn about the factors that drive progression and for patients with mCRC the optimal treatment is still unknown.

About the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology develops and conducts clinical trials with promising new cancer therapies, utilizes the best science to develop optimal treatment and prevention strategies for cancer, and researches methods to alleviate side effects of cancer and cancer treatments. The Alliance has been awarded a grant by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a member of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) in addition to a grant to serve as a research base for the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Collectively, the Alliance comprises nearly 10,000 cancer specialists at hospitals, medical centers, and community clinics across the United States and Canada. To learn more about the Alliance, visit www.AllianceforClinicalTrialsinOncology.org.

About GNS Healthcare
GNS Healthcare solves healthcare's matching problem for leading health plans, biopharma companies, and health systems. We transform massive and diverse data streams to precisely match therapeutics, procedures, and care management interventions to individuals, improving health outcomes and saving billions of dollars. Our causal learning and simulation platform, REFS, accelerates the discovery of what works for whom and why.

www.gnshealthcare.com

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