ASCO2016: Cancer Moonshot 2020 Announces Breast Cancer Working Group With Multiple Leading Cancer Centers And The Launch Of GPS Cancer At ASCO 2016

Physicians and researchers from leading institutions convened at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) 2016 Annual Meeting to collaborate on the development of combination immunotherapy clinical trial protocols for patients with breast cancer

Key thought leaders to accelerate immunotherapy and precision medicine through GPS Cancer™

CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cancer MoonShot 2020, the nation's most comprehensive cancer collaborative initiative, today announced the formation of the Breast Cancer Working Group. The team consists of physicians, researchers and oncology professors from across the nation who have come together to focus their collective wisdom and expertise to identify and develop the most effective cancer-directed immunotherapy treatments for breast cancer.

“The establishment of this Working Group marks another milestone in win the war on cancer and I am thrilled to be a part of the Cancer MoonShot 2020 initiative.”

Experts within the group will collaborate to develop clinical trial protocols, carefully studying elements such as standard of care, GPS Cancer test factors, patient selection, and appropriate combination immunotherapy approaches. GPS Cancer, offered by NantHealth, is a unique, comprehensive test integrating quantitative proteomics, and whole genome (DNA) and transcriptome (RNA) sequencing of tumor and normal germline samples to provide oncologists with a comprehensive molecular profile of a patient’s cancer to inform personalized treatment strategies and identify therapies that may have clinical benefit for the patient, including Quantitative Integrative Lifetime Trials (QUILT). GPS Cancer is performed in the CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratories of NantOmics.

Key benefits of the Working Group branches of study include:

• Physicians and professionals bring their expertise and combined years of knowledge and understanding from within a specific disease study to the collective;
• Integrated research;
• Real-time communication of current data;
• Access to the most cutting edge technology available in immunotherapy research to date; and,
• A keen familiarity with the special needs of patients with specific cancers

“Building a collaborative group of thought leaders and visionaries who are committed to fighting breast cancer is essential to the overall efforts of Cancer MoonShot 2020,” explained Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., founder and CEO of NantWorks and leader of the Cancer MoonShot 2020 program. “I am thrilled that this group of experts have joined forces to work together to ensure that development of next generation diagnostics and combination immunotherapies will be accelerated to transform the way breast cancer is treated.”

The Breast Cancer Working Group was chaired by William Gradishar, MD, Professor of Medicine and Deputy Chief of the Division of Hematology / Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Director of the Lurie Cancer Center’s Maggie Daley Center for Women’s Cancer Care, who will spearhead the team’s efforts with regular meetings and development of protocols announced at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) 2016 Annual Meeting.

“The Cancer MoonShot 2020 Breast Cancer Working Group brings together leaders in Breast Cancer with interests in developmental therapeutics, laboratory research and clinical evaluation of novel approaches for treating patients with cancer. A theme that will focus our mission is to design and rapidly implement clinical trials that focus on immune approaches with novel targeted compounds, vaccines and standard therapies. We are committed to identifying new therapies that will improve the outcome for all our patients,” said Dr. Gradishar of the newly formed group.

Other esteemed members of the Working Group include:

• Peter Fasching, MD, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen, Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Translational Medicine
• Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, FACP, Associate Director of Precision Medicine and Translational Research at the Lurie Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Jenny Chang, MD, Houston Methodist
• Nora Disis, MD, University of Washington Medicine, Professor of Medicine
• Eleftherios (Terry) Mamounas, MD, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Orlando Health
• Ruth O'Regan, MD, University of Wisconsin, Professor and Division Chief of Hematology and Oncology
• George Somlo, MD, Professor in the Departments of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research and Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and President-Elect of the Medical Staff at City of Hope Medical Center
• Dennis Sgroi, MD, Pathologist and Director of Breast Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School
• Sunil Badve, MD, FRCPath, Joshua Edwards Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Professor of Internal Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine

“Our goal with this Working Group is to put combination immunotherapy in the forefront as the approach to improve long-term treatment response in cancer patients,” stated Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, Associate Director for Precision Medicine and Translational Research and Precision Medicine at the Lurie Cancer Center. “The establishment of this Working Group marks another milestone in win the war on cancer and I am thrilled to be a part of the Cancer MoonShot 2020 initiative.”

About Cancer MoonShot 2020

The Cancer MoonShot 2020 program is one of the most comprehensive cancer collaborative initiative launched to date, seeking to accelerate the potential of combination immunotherapy as the next generation standard of care in cancer patients. This initiative aims to explore a new paradigm in cancer care by initiating randomized Phase II trials in patients at all stages of disease in 20 tumor types in 20,000 patients within the next 36 months. These findings will inform Phase III trials and the aspirational moonshot to develop an effective vaccine-based immunotherapy to combat cancer by 2020. For more information, please visit www.cancermoonshot2020.org and follow Cancer MoonShot 2020 on Twitter.

About GPS Cancer™

GPS Cancer™ is a unique, comprehensive test available through NantHealth. GPS Cancer integrates whole genome (DNA) sequencing, whole transcriptome (RNA) sequencing, and quantitative proteomics through mass spectrometry, providing oncologists with a comprehensive molecular profile of a patient’s cancer to inform personalized treatment strategies. GPS Cancer testing is conducted in the CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratories of NantOmics, and is a key enabler for Cancer MoonShot 2020, the world’s most comprehensive cancer collaborative initiative seeking to accelerate the potential of combination immunotherapy as the next generation standard of care in cancer patients. For more information, visit www.gpscancer.com and http://www.cancermoonshot2020.org/.