Esteemed academic institution with decades of leadership in cancer care innovation will strengthen the power of the collaborative network to advance precision medicine
IRVING, Texas, May 14, 2019 – Caris Life Sciences®, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, announced today that Brown University has become the 27th member of its Precision Oncology Alliance™. The Alliance is a collaborative network of leading cancer centers that is developing standards of care and best practices for the application of tumor molecular profiling to make cancer treatment more precise and effective.
“Brown University has guided regional clinical trial collaboration and innovation in cancer care for more than two decades, and we are proud to welcome the institution as a member of the Precision Oncology Alliance,” said Brian J. Brille, Vice Chairman of Caris Life Sciences. “The Caris-led Alliance brings together the brightest minds in healthcare to influence the future of precision oncology through the integration of molecular testing for more effective cancer treatments. We are delighted that Brown has agreed to participate and support this mission.”
Through the Precision Oncology Alliance, Brown University will partner with other notable cancer centers and academic institutions to broaden patient access to precision cancer care, validate Caris’ Next Generation Profiling™ (NGP) 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 Brown-affiliated hospitals will be able to prioritize therapeutic options and determine what clinical trial opportunities may benefit patients. Additionally, Brown University faculty will join with other Alliance members to contribute to and publish data and advance clinical trials collaboration.
“The Precision Oncology Alliance is providing evidence that precision therapeutics – targeted therapies based on molecular characteristics of tumors – can prolong the survival of patients,” said Wafik S. El-Deiry, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Director of the Joint Program in Cancer Biology at Brown and the Lifespan Cancer Institute, and Associate Dean for Oncologic Sciences at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “Brown University is excited to join the Precision Oncology Alliance and to contribute to the growing body of data that is helping establish how patients with cancer are treated.” El-Deiry, who serves as the co-chair of the Steering Committee and the leader of the Phase 1 Disease Group for the Precision Oncology Alliance, also noted, “The Alliance will give Brown-affiliated faculty the opportunity to be involved with the national committees designing and leading innovative precision oncology trials.”
Brown University leads the Brown University Oncology Research Group (BrUOG), a regional consortium of Brown-affiliated hospitals that conducts investigator-initiated oncology clinical trials aimed at providing better insights and actions for precision cancer care. Brown University faculty, BrUOG members and other Brown-affiliated hospitals, including those in the Lifespan hospital network, will all have access to the resources of the Precision Oncology Alliance. “This agreement will help pave the way for Rhode Island patients with cancer to have state-of-the art targeted therapy,” said Howard Safran, M.D., Medical Director of BrUOG, and Director of Hematology-Oncology at Brown and the Lifespan Cancer Institute.
“Collaboration is key to advancements in science and medicine, and Brown University already has a strong track record of robust regional engagement,” said W. Michael Korn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Caris Life Sciences. “The Precision Oncology Alliance is strengthened with the addition of new members with extensive scientific capabilities, such as Brown, that join our efforts to help navigate, advance and reinvent cancer care. The Alliance fully anticipates that Brown’s clinical trials expertise and network of affiliated hospitals will further bolster the impact we can bring to oncologists and their patients who benefit from our insights and data on precise therapeutic treatments based on molecular subtypes.”
The Precision Oncology Alliance comprises 27 academic, hospital and community-based cancer institutions, including seven National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Find out more 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 assess 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. 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 Brown University
Founded in 1764, Brown University is an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution and the seventh-oldest college in the U.S. Brown is a leading research university where talented students and accomplished faculty collaborate to blend deep content knowledge to address the defining challenges of a complex and changing world. At the heart of the University’s teaching, research and scholarship is a commitment to academic excellence, intellectual freedom and making an impact to better serve people, communities and society.
# # #
Caris Life Sciences Company Contact:
Srikant Ramaswami
Vice President, Chief Communications Officer
Contact Srikant
+1-214-769-5510
Caris Life Sciences Investor Inquiries:
David Clair, CFA
Westwicke Partners
david.clair@icrinc.com
+1-646-277-1266
Brown University Media Contact:
Mollie Rappe
Life Sciences Writer
Mollie_Rappe@brown.edu
+1-401-863-1862
