Wake Forest Baptist Joins Other Academic Medical Centers in Launch of Precision Medicine Consortium to Fight Cancer

November 19, 2015

Physician scientistsat Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and those at seven other cancer centers across the country are collaborating to improve day-to-day care and outcomes for cancer patients.

In September, this group of researchers and doctors partnered with Foundation Medicine, Inc., to launch Precision Medicine Exchange Consortium™ (PMEC) to encourage the exchange of data and research advances among its members and to support the education and use of precision medicine in cancer, its causes and development.

“We have developed one of the most comprehensive, coordinated efforts around precision medicine at our cancer center,” said Boris Pasche, M.D., director of Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Now, to have access to data and research findings from other cancer centers across the country and to share our findings with them, broadens the opportunity to patients who could benefit from unique therapies in cases that are not responding to standard treatments.”

Precision medicine targets the genomic changes that contribute to each person’s unique cancer. The hope is that by expanding and sharing genomic data and outcomes, the precision medicine knowledge and treatment opportunities will be advanced and will result in better patient outcomes.

In addition to Wake Forest Baptist, the consortium’s founding members are: 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, UC Davis Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Media Relations

Mac Ingraham: mingraha@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-3487

Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587