Perthera Announces Partnership with Hope for Stomach Cancer

Perthera, Inc., a McLean, VA-based precision medicine company, announced its partnership with Hope for Stomach Cancer, a patient-focused 501(C)(3) nonprofit that provides support, resources, and awareness to those facing stomach cancer. Perthera’s Precision Cancer Analysis (PCA) service will be available to all Hope for Stomach Cancer patients at no cost to them.

“We’re hopeful that through this new program, stomach cancer patients can get a PCA so they can be treated with precision drugs more often,” said Aki Smith, founder of Hope for Stomach Cancer. PCA is a comprehensive molecular analysis of a patient’s tumor, which leverages the expertise of various medical specialists, who work as partners on the patient’s cancer care team. Each patient’s biological makeup is examined against Perthera’s proprietary databank, as well as by cancer specialists on Perthera’s Virtual Molecular Tumor Board.

“Now more than ever, having detailed knowledge about the tumor’s characteristics is critical in determining the patient’s most effective treatment options, and this collaboration makes that a reality, regardless of the patient’s geographical location,” continued Smith. Over the past several months, Perthera has built a relationship with Smith and her organization.

“We’re very impressed with the way she founded the organization, how she’s growing it, and her aggressive vision for the future. Hope for Stomach Cancer’s program is another sign that precision medicine is morphing from its emerging technology stage into a very real and powerful cancer treatment component,” said Andrew Mignatti, CEO, and president of Perthera.

In September 2016, Perthera and Hope for Stomach Cancer co-presented a web-based presentation on precision medicine and stomach cancer, led by Dr. Michael Pishvaian, Chief Medical Officer of Perthera. Following the well-attended conference, several stomach cancer patients began actively pursuing more information about Perthera’s process.

Perthera also has relationships with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Alliance (PanCAN) and the Lung Cancer Alliance (LungMATCH). These partnerships help Perthera educate cancer patients about the benefits of precision medicine.

“While a patient’s genomic makeup is a very significant part of the precision medicine analysis, it is hardly enough. For example, in addition to genomic analysis, patients who use the Hope for Stomach Cancer program will have proteomic testing so that protein level and protein activation level changes, which are often more relevant to treatment response, can be identified,” continued Mignatti.

This article has been republished from materials provided by Perthera. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.