Foundation Medicine Inc, Cambridge, Mass, has launched a precision medicine partner program, the Precision Medicine Exchange Consortium (PMEC), to facilitate data exchange, advance research, and support education and applications of precision medicine in oncology and molecular pathology.
PMEC brings together oncology thought leaders from academic medical centers, regional hospital systems, and community oncology networks who share a vision for utilizing precision medicine as a means for improving clinical outcomes in oncology treatment. Initially in the United States with the intent to be expanded internationally, the consortium seeks to promote the collaborative exchange of molecular information and clinical outcomes data, through a broader integration of comprehensive genomic profiling in cancer treatment.
Founding members of PMEC include the Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute; Hackensack University Medical Center; the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University; Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University; the University of California, Davis, Health Comprehensive Cancer Center; the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; and the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Progress in cancer care will be achieved by breaking down the information silos that exist in healthcare and collaborating towards clinically robust and relevant data exchange,” says Brian Bolwell, MD, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute and a founding member of PMEC. “We applaud Foundation Medicine and our partner institutions in PMEC for their innovative thinking, for valuing the exchange of information, and for taking a leadership role to effect a positive change for our patients with cancer.”
PMEC is being established on the guiding principles of innovation, education, and the exchange of highly validated molecular information and outcomes data to improve cancer care. PMEC members will have access to a suite of innovative information tools and programs tailored to fit the needs of the individual cancer centers that are members of PMEC. A selection of these planned offerings includes:
- Access to a shared data exchange platform of deidentified, matched clinical outcomes and genomic data contributed by Foundation Medicine and PMEC members to support research and clinical innovation.
- Access to clinical research programs that integrate comprehensive genomic profiling to improve cancer care.
- Programs to support the advance of precision medicine and molecular oncology through training, education, and streamlined member services.
Additionally, PMEC members can elect to participate in best practices exchanges, where members will have the opportunity to share ideas for advancing precision medicine.
“The promise of precision medicine rests on these national and international initiatives, including PMEC, which enable investigators to share crucial data,” says Mary Zutter, MD, assistant vice chancellor for integrative diagnostics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Only through that data sharing can we understand the implications of genomics for patient care.”
Vince Miller, MD, Foundation Medicine.
“We’re proud to be launching this initiative with so many thought leaders across a broad spectrum of cancer institutions and practices,” says Vincent A. Miller, MD, chief medical officer at Foundation Medicine. “We’re actively seeking new members who share PMEC’s vision, and we welcome conversations with additional cancer centers, data and informatics organizations, and payors who embrace the opportunity to collaborate for the betterment of cancer care.”
For more information, visit Foundation Medicine.
