Caris Life Sciences® announced Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey has become the 37th member of its Caris Precision Oncology Alliance™. The Alliance is a collaborative network of leading cancer centers that demonstrate a commitment to precision medicine. These centers work together to advance comprehensive cancer profiling and establish standards of care for molecular testing in oncology through conducting research studies focused on predictive and prognostic markers that advance the clinical outcomes of patients with cancer.
Through a partnership with RWJBarnabas Health, Rutgers Cancer Institute provides comprehensive and compassionate cancer care to adults and children. The Institute has a dual focus on care and research. More than $100 million in annual federal, state and philanthropic grants support its faculty members and allows the Institute to make meaningful contributions to the oncology community. Currently, the Institute has 56 active clinical trials that have a focus on precision medicine.
"The true power of Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance is the collective contributions of each member institution towards improving the quality of personalized therapeutic insights in cancer treatment," said Chadi Nabhan, MD, MBA, FACP, Chairman of the Precision Oncology Alliance. "Caris looks forward to working with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and its team of internationally recognized physicians and researchers who have a proud legacy of transforming laboratory discoveries into clinical practice in furthering this mission."
Through the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance, Rutgers Cancer Institute will partner with other cancer centers and academic institutions to broaden patient access to precision cancer care, have early access to Caris MAI™ (Molecular Artificial Intelligence) offerings, and establish evidence-based standards for cancer profiling and molecular testing in oncology. By leveraging the comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling services available through the Caris Molecular Intelligence® platform, physicians from the Rutgers Cancer Institute will be able to prioritize therapeutic options and determine which clinical trial opportunities may benefit their patients. Additionally, the Institute's researchers will partner with other Alliance members to contribute to and publish data and advance collaborative clinical trials.
"The dedicated research and healthcare teams at Rutgers Cancer Institute know that a focus on patient experience and outcome is critical to providing comprehensive cancer care," said Shridar Ganesan, MD, PhD, associate director for translational science and chief of molecular oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute, who is also a professor of medicine and pharmacology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Omar Boraie Chair in Genomic Science. "We look forward to harnessing the valuable insights generated by the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance and the opportunity to provide our own valuable contributions to the latest advancements in personalized medicine."
The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance comprises 37 academic, hospital and community-based cancer institutions, including 11 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The Alliance now includes over 2,000 physicians, spanning more than 425 locations, who provide services for over 330,000 people with cancer each year. Caris 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.
"The Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a recognized leader in cutting-edge precision medicine research and therapeutic offerings," said Brian J. Brille, Vice Chairman of Caris Life Sciences. "The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance continues to grow in new and meaningful ways because of comprehensive cancer centers like the Rutgers Cancer Institute, which is devoted to advancing individualized cancer research and treatments."