University of Minnesota Joins Precision Oncology Alliance Led by Caris Life Sciences

IRVING, Texas and MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences^®, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, announced today that the University of Minnesota has become the 31^st member of its Precision Oncology Alliance™. The Alliance is a collaborative network of leading cancer centers that demonstrates a commitment to precision medicine. These centers work together toward a common goal, to advance tumor profiling and establish standards of care for molecular testing in oncology.

The Masonic Cancer Center serves as the hub for cancer research at the University of Minnesota. Its more than 600 members apply their expertise to addressing issues of cancer by conducting research to understand cancer causes, prevention, treatment, outcomes and survivorship. The progress the Center has seen in reducing the burden of cancer can be directly attributed to research advances. Founded in 1991, the cancer center became a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center in 1998, one of only 51 institutions in the U.S. and two in Minnesota to hold that designation.

"As an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center is nationally recognized for the outstanding cancer care it delivers to people living with cancer, as well as for the cutting-edge research that is changing how the disease is diagnosed and treated," said Brian J. Brille, Vice Chairman of Caris Life Sciences. "We look forward to working with the Masonic Cancer Center and the contributions of their team of leading researchers as we continue our mission of bringing molecular testing to the forefront of cancer care thereby impacting effective treatment of this disease."

Through the Precision Oncology Alliance – powered by Caris – the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center will partner with other notable cancer centers and academic institutions to broaden patient access to precision cancer care, have early access to Caris' Next Generation Profiling™ offerings, and establish evidence-based standards for tumor profiling and molecular testing in oncology. By leveraging the comprehensive genomic and proteomic tumor profiling services available through the Caris Molecular Intelligence^® platform, oncologists from the Masonic Cancer Center will be able to prioritize therapeutic options and determine which clinical trial opportunities may benefit their patients. Additionally, the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center researchers will partner with other Alliance members to contribute and publish data and advance collaborative clinical trials.

"The University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center plays a vital role in the lives of people living with cancer each year, providing the highest level of holistic, life-saving care, from detection and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship," said Douglas Yee, MD, Director of the Masonic Cancer Center, and Professor in the Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Minnesota. "The Masonic Cancer Center is known equally for its research into the causes, prevention, detection and treatment of cancer. We look forward to collaborating with Caris Life Sciences and the members of the Precision Oncology Alliance to progress innovative research that will fuel the next great discoveries in precision medicine."

The Precision Oncology Alliance comprises 31 academic, hospital and community-based cancer institutions, including nine NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The Alliance now includes over 1,200 physicians, spanning more than 360 locations, who provide services for over 250,000 people with cancer each year. Precision Oncology Alliance members also have access to Caris Pharmatech's oncology trial network, which can help reduce the time it takes to identify and connect appropriate patients with novel targeted cancer therapies in clinical development.

"Bringing together the top minds in oncology is critical to advancing the effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and the Masonic Cancer Center and their legacy of collaboration and innovation are a welcome addition to the Precision Oncology Alliance," said W. Michael Korn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Caris Life Sciences. "As we look to broadly improve outcomes for patients with cancer through precision medicine, the expertise and efforts of the researchers at the Masonic Cancer Center will help bring us closer to our goal of reinventing cancer care for oncologists and the patients they serve."

Find out more about the Precision Oncology Alliance, powered by Caris, at www.carislifesciences.com/precision-oncology-alliance.

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. The company's suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps physicians and cancer patients make more precise and personalized treatment decisions.

Caris is also advancing precision medicine with Next Generation Profiling™ that combines its innovative service offerings, Caris Molecular Intelligence^® and ADAPT Biotargeting System™, with its proprietary artificial intelligence analytics engine, DEAN™, to analyze the whole exome, whole transcriptome and complete cancer proteome. This information, coupled with mature clinical outcomes on thousands of patients, provides unmatched molecular solutions for patients, physicians, payers and biopharmaceutical organizations.

Whole transcriptome sequencing with MI Transcriptome provides the most comprehensive and unique RNA analysis available on the market and covers all 22,000 genes, with an average of 60 million reads per patient, to deliver extremely broad coverage and high resolution into the dynamic nature of the transcriptome. Assessing the whole transcriptome allows us to dig deeper into the RNA universe to uncover and detect fusions, splice variants, and expression changes that provide oncologists with more insight and actionable information when determining treatment plans for patients.

Caris Pharmatech, a pioneer of the original Just-In-Time research system with the largest research-ready oncology network is changing the paradigm from the traditional physician outreach model to a real-time approach where patient identification is completed at the lab and the physician is informed so that the patient can be enrolled days earlier, and remain in the local physician's care, without having to travel to a large central trial site. This fundamentally redefines how pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies identify and rapidly enroll patients in precision oncology trials by combining Caris' highest quality industry leading large-scale molecular profiling services with Pharmatech's on-demand site activation and patient enrollment system.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).

About the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
The Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, is the Twin Cities' only Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated 'Outstanding' by the National Cancer Institute. As Minnesota's Cancer Center, we have served the entire state for more than 25 years. Our researchers, educators, and care providers have worked to discover the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer and cancer-related diseases. Learn more at cancer.umn.edu.

About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. Learn how the University of Minnesota is innovating all aspects of medicine by visiting www.med.umn.edu.

Caris Life Sciences Media & Company Contact:
Srikant Ramaswami
Vice President, Chief Communications Officer
[email protected]
+1-214-769-5510

Masonic Cancer Center Media Contact:
Max Huber
Marketing and Communications Manager
[email protected]
612-624-5005

SOURCE Caris Life Sciences

Related Links

http://www.carislifesciences.com