Innovative technology will provide unparalleled insights into cancer
tumors, enabling personalized cancer treatment strategies for fire
fighters, a population whose risk of death from cancer is significantly
higher than the general population
CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
NantHealth,
Inc. (NASDAQ-GS: NH), a next-generation, evidence-based, personalized
healthcare company, announced today that the International
Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has endorsed GPS
Cancer, a comprehensive, molecular profile, as a valuable benefit
that will be accessible for approximately 310,000 IAFF members across
the United States and Canada.
Cancer is now the leading cause of death for fire fighters nationwide.
Sixty (60) percent of the names added to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter
Memorial Walls in Colorado Springs since 2002 are IAFF members who have
died from occupational cancers. Fire fighters are diagnosed with cancer
at a higher rate than the general population and deaths from cancer have
increased significantly over the last 20 years. Each year, more and more
fire fighters are dying from occupational cancer. As such, the Firefighter
Cancer Registry Act was reintroduced in the 115th Congress
with the goal to study and gain a better understanding of the
relationship between firefighting and cancer. In support of this
registry, IAFF has advocated for continued research, the best available
preventive screens, diagnostic testing and treatment options to support
prevention, improve care and reduce cancer-related deaths. IAFF’s
endorsement of GPS Cancer is a major step toward providing members and
their physicians with the most comprehensive information available to
support the best decisions for treatment for fire fighters with cancer.
GPS Cancer will be made available to members in several major cities
throughout 2017. Further, NantHealth and Union leadership will be
working to provide coverage for all IAFF members in North America.
“The health and safety of our members has always been the top priority
for our union,” said Harold Schaitberger, General President, IAFF. “Our
fire fighters are exposed to harmful chemicals and toxins on a daily
basis because they have committed themselves to saving and protecting
civilians; however, being exposed to these substances may potentially
lead to serious health complications. As such, we understand the need to
provide them with more access to the most advanced health treatments,
especially for deadly conditions like cancer. With fire fighters at a
14% greater risk for mortality from cancer, our partnership with
NantHealth to offer GPS Cancer to our members is part of our ongoing
commitment to helping them improve and maintain their health.”
GPS Cancer, a unique molecular profile performed in the CLIA-certified,
CAP-accredited laboratories of NantOmics, integrates whole genome (DNA)
sequencing, whole transcriptome (RNA) sequencing, and quantitative
proteomics to provide oncologists with a comprehensive molecular profile
of a patient’s cancer to inform personalized treatment strategies. GPS
Cancer provides critical insights based on the unique biology of a
patient’s tumor—from the DNA to the RNA to the protein. The richness of
this information helps doctors to build potentially more effective
treatment plans based on current drugs and active clinical trials, while
enabling cancer researchers to design new clinical trials that harness
the potential of the immune system.
“Cancer is impacting the lives of firefighters at a greater rate than
we’ve seen in the past, making it crucial to provide them with the most
advanced healthcare strategies and technology available,” said Dr.
Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder and CEO of NantHealth. “This partnership
with the IAFF is key to enabling access to affordable and effective
healthcare for these brave men and women who have dedicated their lives
to saving others.”
About International Association of Fire Fighters
The IAFF is the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire
and emergency services in the 21st century. With headquarters in
Washington, DC, and Ottawa, Ontario, the IAFF represents approximately
310,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics in more than
3,100 affiliates. IAFF members protect more than 85 percent of the
population in communities throughout the United States and Canada.
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including, among others, statements regarding the capabilities and
anticipated utility of our GPS Cancer, including predicting patient
response and resistance to therapeutics, enabling diagnoses by
physicians and accelerating efforts to bring novel combinations of
therapeutic agents to cancer patients. Forward-looking statements are
subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from currently anticipated results. Factors
that may cause future results to differ materially from management’s
current expectations include, among other things, that GPS Cancer may
not perform as anticipated, that sufficient physicians may not adopt GPS
Cancer to assist their diagnoses or that healthcare payers may not
provide reimbursement for GPS Cancer as expected. Our business is
subject to numerous additional risks and uncertainties, including, among
others, risks relating to market acceptance of our products; our ability
to successfully launch new products and applications; competition; our
sales, marketing and distribution capabilities; our planned sales,
marketing, and research and development activities; unanticipated
increases in costs or expenses; and risks associated with international
operations. Information on these and additional risks, uncertainties,
and other information affecting our business and operating results can
be found in our existing and future filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of
the date hereof. We disclaim any obligation to update these
forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.
About NantHealth, Inc.
NantHealth, Inc., a member of the NantWorks ecosystem of companies, is a
next-generation, evidence-based, personalized healthcare company
enabling improved patient outcomes and more effective treatment
decisions for critical illnesses. NantHealth's unique systems-based
approach to personalized healthcare applies novel diagnostics tailored
to the specific molecular profiles of patient tissues and integrates
this molecular data in a clinical setting with large-scale, real-time
biometric signal and phenotypic data to track patient outcomes and
deliver precision medicine. For nearly a decade, NantHealth has
developed an adaptive learning system, which includes its unique
software, middleware and hardware systems infrastructure that collects,
indexes, analyzes and interprets billions of molecular, clinical,
operational and financial data points derived from novel and traditional
sources, continuously improves decision-making and further optimizes our
clinical pathways and decision algorithms over time. For more
information please visit www.nanthealth.com
and follow Dr. Soon-Shiong on Twitter @DrPatSoonShiong.
About GPS Cancer™
GPS Cancer™ is a unique, molecular scan 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 and an assessment of protein pathway function to inform
personalized treatment strategies. GPS Cancer scanning is conducted in
CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratories, and is a key enabler for Cancer
Breakthroughs 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.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170310005168/en/
NantWorks
Jen Hodson, 562-397-3639
jhodson@nantworks.com
Source: NantHealth, Inc.