Symbiodx, a molecular reference laboratory in the Pacific Northwest, and Cure Forward, a Cambridge, Mass.-based, multisided technology platform to support patient engagement, are collaborating to advance precision medicine. The partnership will provide patients with streamlined access to their genomic data and greater exposure to relevant clinical trials.
Symbiodx is a state-of-the-art anatomic and molecular pathology reference laboratory currently doing more than 300,000 biopsies annually. It provides a solution for cancer genomics testing through a custom-designed, next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay that incorporates the histopathology findings, and informs clinical decision-making for both solid and hematologic malignancies.
Cure Forward launched in private beta earlier this year to streamline the connection between diagnosed cancer patients and clinical trial administrators. Through Cure Forward’s website, patients can retrieve molecular diagnostic test results ordered by their physicians from accredited laboratory test providers, and then use that data to access educational information, collaborate with other patients or investigate treatment options including clinical trials. Its clinical trial matching technology inverts conventional approaches to trial matching by bringing trial invitations directly to patients. The solution is intended to reduce recruitment times and increase trial participation, thereby supporting faster approval of targeted therapies for cancer patients.
“Bringing audiences together online is a type of innovation that has helped solve so many of life’s problems, from finding a ride to funding a startup. We decided to apply the same type of thinking to the challenge of complex disease,” said Martin Naley, Cure Forward CEO. “At Cure Forward, cancer patients use their medical data to unlock insights and opportunities that may change the course of their care. It begins with high-quality test data from leading clinical diagnostic laboratories.”
In addition to the clinical trial exchange, Cure Forward also offers access to educational information, starting in cancer, to help consumers understand the molecular science of their disease, and an online community where patients with the same molecular and clinical factors can connect and collaborate.
