Cure Forward, PGDx Announce Agreement
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Cure Forward and Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. (PGDx) have announced an agreement that will enable cancer patients using the Cure Forward Patient Activation platform to select PGDx as their genomic testing service provider. Under the terms of the agreement, PGDx will make its genomic testing results directly available to cancer patients through the Cure Forward platform. The data will be provided in interoperable formats, so that it can be directly applied by patients to further their own care.
Further details of the nonexclusive agreement were not disclosed. At Cure Forward, patients and their families can retrieve and use molecular profiling data to understand their disease, connect with others who share their specific diagnosis and treatment history, and connect to clinical trials. The centerpiece of the Cure Forward platform is its Clinical Trial Exchange, where patients can post relevant information about themselves. Clinical trial recruiters can then view patients’ anonymized profiles and invite them to apply for inclusion in relevant trials.
The mechanism is designed to facilitate the process by presenting patient data in a format that can be compared against the inclusion and exclusion criteria provided by trial recruiters in their searches, including DNA biomarker criteria. “PGDx was established by cancer researchers at Johns Hopkins in response to requests from patients and their physicians for access to advanced genomic testing. We are committed to working with other innovative companies to expand that access, and it is accordingly fitting for us to join forces with Cure Forward, whose innovative platform is designed to empower patients with the DNA biomarker data that is essential for optimizing their cancer treatment,” said Douglas Ward, Chief Executive Officer at PGDx.
“Cure Forward believes that adoption of precision medicine is enhanced when patients are able to participate directly, and we welcome the opportunity to support their efforts.” Results from PGDx tests will be reported to ordering physicians through diagnostic reports and patients will then be able to use information from the reports to request and receive their data through the Cure Forward platform. Receiving one’s data is a legal right of all patients in the US through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
This collaboration makes it easier for patients to access and use their genomic data quickly while
keeping their physicians involved in the process. “At Cure Forward, we want every patient to be able to address their disease with the best possible science. We believe that clinical trials are an important consideration at every stage of a person’s care, and we want to make it easy for people to identify trial options,” said Martin Naley, Cure Forward’s Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.
“PGDx is a well-known cancer genomic testing pioneer who is committed to providing the most advanced services to patients and their physicians. This collaboration with PGDx further ensures that patients using our platform will have rapid access to their data from the highest quality genomic testing services. This can help individual patients find the best options for their care and could also accelerate research toward improved treatments and cures.”
PGDx offers a complete range of cancer genome analysis tools, including exome and targeted
approaches for tissue specimens, targeted approaches for plasma samples and a variety of
custom tissue and plasma-based options designed to address the specific research needs of
cancer researchers and drug developers. It was established in 2010 by researchers from Johns
Hopkins University who are pioneers in cancer genome sequencing and liquid biopsy technologies.
Under the leadership of founders Drs. Luis Diaz and Victor Velculescu, the company has achieved consistent growth by successfully commercializing novel clinical and investigational products and services for researchers, drug developers, molecular testing laboratories and physicians and patients. PGDx’s service offerings for researchers and testing labs are complemented by the clinical services it provides through its CLIA-certified laboratory.