Perthera Enters Into a Strategic Alliance With the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute
MCLEAN, Va. and CHICAGO, Oct. 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perthera, Inc., a precision cancer therapy firm, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University (Lurie Cancer Center) and the Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute (NMDTI), have entered into a strategic alliance to conduct a translational research program designed to assess the utility of integration of next generation sequencing (NGS), proteomic, and phospho-proteomic data in oncology developmental therapeutics and clinical practice.
The Lurie Cancer Center and NMDTI will work with Perthera on clinical protocols that incorporate Perthera's approaches and methodologies to cancer protocol treatment and will assess the impact on overall disease management and patient outcomes.
"Our alliance with Perthera is a key component of the Lurie Cancer Center's focus as a pioneering institution in the application of personalized medicine at both the individual patient and the research protocol levels," stated Leonidas C. Platanias, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Lurie Cancer Center. "Our rapidly expanding programs offer increasing opportunities to tailor cancer treatment to the specific genetic abnormalities and their consequences that drive human malignancies. The rapid identification of cancer drivers and the attendant continuous expansion of our pipeline of cognate therapies that are directed at these targets is a major focus within our institutes," said Francis J. Giles, M.D., Associate Director for Translational Medicine and Developmental Therapeutics at the Lurie Cancer Center and Director of the NMDTI.
Perthera provides advanced molecular diagnostic testing, profiling and analysis services to create a detailed, actionable analysis of a patient's unique cancer. By pairing proteomics with targeted genomic analysis in the context of patient history, Perthera bridges the gap between molecular testing and patient therapy to help oncologists identify personalized treatment options for each individual patient. In June, the company announced a partnership with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to identify relevant pathways and mutations for pancreatic cancer, including previously unidentified targets.
"Perthera is very pleased to announce this collaboration with the Lurie Cancer Center and NMDTI," said Dendy Young, Chairman of Perthera. "These global leaders in translational research are acknowledged experts in accelerating access for patients to novel technologies and approaches such as those offered by Perthera."
About the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute (NMDTI)
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and NMDTI have launched a discipline-defining research program devoted to uniting and expanding their investment in the field of developmental therapeutics. This field creates a continuous synergistic loop linking preclinical basic science breakthroughs to the use of novel approaches to prevent cancer, to better predict its causes and behavior, and to develop better treatments for patients who suffer from cancer. Today, the Lurie Cancer Center is one of only 41 NCI-designated "Comprehensive" cancer centers in the nation. In addition, the Lurie Cancer Center is a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of 25 of the world's leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer and part of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, a network of academic institutions working to together on highly translational clinical trials using the expertise of Big Ten universities. The Lurie Cancer Center is affiliated with four leading teaching hospitals in Chicago — Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago , the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the Jesse Brown Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, treating more than 10,000 new patients with cancer each year.
The Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute (NMDTI) provides the infrastructure, expertise, and people to accelerate the developmental therapeutics process. With dedicated patient care facilities, experienced physician scientists, and specialized advanced practice providers, pharmacists, and allied staff, NMDTI brings a large external pipeline of investigational agents to our patients while accelerating the development of Northwestern University's internal pipeline of novel therapies. The NMDTI Developmental Therapeutics Fellowship, supported by the Woman's Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, focuses on nurturing physician scientists whose career is dedicated to curing cancer.
About Perthera
Perthera is a personalized medicine firm. As the only company to combine the latest multi-omic molecular profiling, including genomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis, with a patient's medical history and state-of-the-art diagnostic technology, Perthera enables oncologists to deliver precision medicine to treat an individual patient's unique cancer. In addition to providing clinical service, McLean, Va-based Perthera is a leader in science, advocacy and education to help transform cancer patients' lives through personalized molecular-based therapy. For more information, visit www.perthera.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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