John Wayne Cancer Institute Joins the Precision Oncology Alliance Powered by Caris Life Sciences

John Wayne Cancer Institute becomes the 18th organization to join the Precision Oncology Alliance - advancing precision medicine through molecular intelligence

News provided by

Caris Life Sciences

Oct 18, 2017, 08:30 ET

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences^®, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, announced today the John Wayne Cancer Institute has joined the company's Precision Oncology Alliance™ (POA). The John Wayne Cancer Institute is the 18^th institution to join the alliance, which was established to study the appropriate use of tumor profiling and develop standards of care for molecular testing in oncology.

"The John Wayne Cancer Institute, whose namesake died of stomach cancer, is a major participant in cancer research and a leader in training the next generation of oncologists," said John Marshall, M.D., Director of the Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and Chairman of the POA Executive Committee. "Their involvement in our POA will add considerable insight, knowledge and skills to our goal of advancing cancer patient care via precision oncology."

As a member of the POA, the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica will actively participate in the development of standards of care and best practices for integrating and utilizing molecular profiling in oncology practice, while also striving to optimize the adoption of and patient access to personalized medicine in clinical settings. The institution will leverage Caris' comprehensive genomic profiling plus (CGP+) tumor profiling service, Caris Molecular Intelligence®, to enable the practice of precision medicine by identifying therapy options and clinical trial opportunities based on the unique molecular characteristics of a patient's tumor. The molecular insights generated will not only assist the physicians immediately in treatment planning, but the John Wayne Cancer Institute, along with the other POA members, will contribute data to Caris' C.O.D.E.^™ database, which tracks molecular data and outcomes data.

"A large focus of our institute is on the biological mechanisms of cancer to better diagnose, treat and eventually cure the disease for all cancer patients," said Santosh Kesari, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics and Director of the Neuro-Oncology Program at John Wayne Cancer Institute. "Joining Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance will enable us to work more closely with other leading cancer centers to advance precision medicine through tumor profiling. We look forward to our collaboration with this group of committed institutions."

Caris Molecular Intelligence assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint to guide more precise and individualized treatment decisions. Based on the unique molecular characteristics of an individual patient's cancer, the results help inform treatment decisions by identifying therapies that have the potential to be most effective and to rule out those that are less likely to provide clinical benefit.

About Caris Life Sciences^®Caris Life Sciences^® is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation. Caris Molecular Intelligence^®, the company's Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Plus (CGP+) molecular testing service and the world's leading immunotherapy diagnostic expert, assesses DNA, RNA and proteins, including microsatellite instability (MSI), total mutational load (TML) and PD-L1, to reveal a molecular blueprint to guide more precise and personalized treatment decisions. The ADAPT Biotargeting System^™, the company's revolutionary and unbiased profiling platform, is currently being utilized for drug target identification, therapeutic discovery and development, fixed tissue-based companion diagnostics, blood-based cancer screening and biomarker identification. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com.

About the Precision Oncology Alliance^™The Precision Oncology Alliance^™ (POA) was established by Caris Life Sciences to promote the study and appropriate use of molecular testing in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The POA consists of 18 leading cancer centers, including five NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, that have demonstrated a commitment to precision medicine and work collaboratively toward a common goal: to advance tumor profiling and establish standards of care for molecular testing in oncology. The POA has produced more than five peer-reviewed manuscripts and presented over 40 posters at industry conferences.

About Providence Health & Services
Providence Health & Services, Southern California, is a Catholic not-for-profit, mission-driven healthcare system. Providence Southern California operates six award-winning hospitals and a comprehensive, fully-integrated network of primary care clinics, urgent care centers, home care, TrinityCare and TrinityKids Care hospice as well as Providence High School. Providence is anchored locally by Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Providence Tarzana Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. With more than 3,400 physicians, Providence provides coordinated primary and specialty care through an array of physician groups and individual providers including Providence Medical Institute and physician groups in the South Bay, the West Valley and Santa Clarita. Providence affiliate, Facey Medical Group, provides primary and specialized care in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and Simi Valley. In 2016, Providence united with St. Joseph Health to form a new organization, Providence St. Joseph Health, with 50 hospitals in seven states. For more information, visit California.providence.org.