The Christ Hospital Health Network Joins Mission to Detect Cancer Earlier

Media contact: Bo McMillan, Garnett.McMillan@TheChristHospital.com

CINCINNATI (July 19, 2017)— The Christ Hospital Health Network has joined a national clinical study that may lead to detecting cancer early, making treatment easier and saving lives. Medical centers around the nation are collaborating in one of the largest clinical study programs ever pursued in genomic medicine.

Diagnosing cancer early results in significantly higher survival rates compared to late-stage diagnosis. However, effective screening only exists for a few cancer types, and most cancer is detected in later stages, when survival rates are much lower. Extensive research suggests that cancer may be directly detectable with DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream.

In partnership with GRAIL, a life sciences company devoted to early detection of cancer and funded by investors including Bill Gates and GV (formerly Google Ventures), The Christ Hospital is now providing access to the Circulating Cell-Free Genome Atlas (CCGA) study. The observational study will enroll at least 7,000 cancer patients and 3,000 individuals without cancer, analyzing the biology of both tumor biopsy tissue samples and the circulating, tumor-derived nucleic acids in blood. Circulating tumor nucleic acids (ctNAs) in the blood are an emerging biomarker for earlier cancer detection. The trial will provide a foundation for the development of blood tests to detect cancer early and also provides a unique opportunity for people, both with and without cancer, to participate in an impactful cancer-fighting initiative.

The Christ Hospital and its collaborators will collect clinical outcomes on the enrolled participants for at least five years. The result will be a detailed atlas of cancer genetics that GRAIL will use to support development of blood tests for the early detection of cancer. Study participants will fill out a health questionnaire, give blood samples and allow access to their health records for five years. Patients with cancer will also allow the collection of their tumor tissue.

“The goal of this study is to eventually have tools to detect cancer early, before symptoms appear. To do this we need a vast amount of tumor genomic data from individuals with and without cancer,” said Philip Leming, MD, principal investigator of the CCGA study and medical oncologist at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “This is a great opportunity for local Cincinnatians to make a difference in the fight against cancer.”

The Cancer Center at The Christ Hospital offers precision medicine—cancer care tailored to each individual and their condition. Physicians specialize in treating specific types of cancer, and ground-breaking technology offers highly targeted therapy without surgery. Genetic testing is now available to identify the most effective treatment for patients with cancer, which can reduce treatment time and improve outcomes. “It’s exciting to extend our footprint in genomic medicine with participation in CCGA, and we are very honored to be the only center chosen in our region and one of a select number of centers nationally,” said Leming. >br>
The Christ Hospital aims to contribute 700 cancer patients and 300 individuals without a diagnosis of cancer to the study. The effort is managed by The Lindner Research Center at The Christ Hospital, which has conducted more than 1,600 clinical trials and introduced most of the new techniques in cardiovascular medicine over the past 28 years.

If you would like more information on participating in this study, please call 513-585-1777 or email Lindner@thechristhospital.com.

About The Christ Hospital Health Network: The Christ Hospital Health Network is an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn with six ambulatory centers and dozens of offices conveniently located throughout the region. The Network is supported by more than 1200 talented physicians and 5800 dedicated employees. Its mission is to improve the health of the community and to create patient value by providing exceptional outcomes, the finest experiences all in an affordable way. It has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as the 24th best large employer in the nation in their America’s 500 Best Large Employers listing and by National Consumer Research as the region’s Most Preferred Hospital for 21 consecutive years. The Network is dedicated to transforming care by delivering integrated, personalized healthcare through its comprehensive, multi-specialty physician network. The Christ Hospital is among only six percent of hospitals in the nation to be awarded Magnet recognition for nursing excellence and among the top five percent of hospitals in the country for patient satisfaction. For more than 125 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves.

About The Lindner Research Center: For the past 25 years, The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education (Lindner Research Center) has provided leading-edge medicines and medical technology research covering a broad spectrum of conditions from obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia to new vascular interventional devices, adult stem cell therapies, structural heart disease, cardiovascular surgery, heart failure and electrophysiology. Physicians at the Lindner Research Center have conducted over 1,600 clinical trials including multiple first-in-man and first-in-the-U.S procedures, which have contributed to best practice standards for the care of patients. For information on current trials, please call 513-585-1777.

About GRAIL: GRAIL is a life sciences company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured. GRAIL is using the power of high-intensity sequencing, population-scale clinical trials, and state of the art Computer Science and Data Science to enhance the scientific understanding of cancer biology and develop blood tests for early-stage cancer detection. The company’s funding was led by ARCH Venture Partners and includes Amazon, Bezos Expeditions, Bill Gates, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Decheng Capital, GV, Illumina, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Merck, McKesson Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, Tencent, Varian Medical Systems, and other financial partners. For more information, please visit www.grail.com.