PRESS RELEASE: Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Prostate Cancer Foundation Announce Their Commitment to Support the Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer

In alignment with VP Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, the Blood PAC formed in October 2016 to support progress towards patient benefit through research

WASHINGTON, D.C. December 20, 2016 – The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announce their commitment to advancing the understanding of metastatic disease in patients through their support of the Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (Blood PAC). In alignment with Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, the Blood PAC was formed in October 2016 to support the mission of making very direct progress towards patient benefit through research. Blood PAC is a public private partnership of now over twenty organizations that have pledged support by contributing liquid biopsy data, protocols, and expertise into an open data commons.

“The Cancer Moonshot, which helped inspire the Blood PAC initiative, exemplifies a core principle upon which the BCRF was founded: progress toward a future without cancer through cooperation and collegiality as well as scientific excellence” noted Dr. Larry Norton, BCRF Scientific Director and Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“PCF has been funding blood-based biodetection of cancer DNA activity since 2008. Our new partnership with BCRF will accelerate a more comprehensive understanding of real-time metastatic disease activity,” said Jonathan W. Simons, MD president and CEO, PCF. “Support for Blood PAC exemplifies PCF’s commitment to rapid data sharing and team science across all cancer types.”

BCRF has awarded a team science grant to Drs. Shriver and Kuhn from the Department of Defense’s Murtha Cancer Center and the University of Southern California, while PCF is supporting Dr. Howard I. Scher of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC). The funds have been awarded to recognized leaders in biomarker assay validation and are intended to support pilot projects that will utilize multiple technologies for analyzing rare events in the blood of cancer patients and subsequently deposit the data and associated protocols into the Blood PAC commons.

The Blood PAC is uniquely qualified and in position to establish an open database for liquid biopsies in order to expedite the development of safe and effective blood profiling diagnostic technologies to accelerate drug development, streamline clinical research, and dramatically improve the lives of cancer patients.

Blood PAC members include: AstraZeneca, Celgene, CytoLumina Technologies Corp., Eli Lilly and Company, Epic Sciences, Foundation Medicine, Genentech, Genomic Health, Guardant Health, Indivumed, MSKCC, Novartis, Omicia, Open Commons Consortium, Personal Genome Diagnostics, Pfizer, Provista Diagnostics, Seven Bridges, Sysmex Inostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, University of Michigan, and University of Southern California.  For more information on how to contribute to Blood PAC, an open consortium, please visit www.bloodprofilingatlas.org.

PCF and BCRF supported projects are expected to begin procuring data in early 2017. 

About the Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world’s leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating prostate cancer research. Founded in 1993, PCF has raised more than $670 million and provided funding to more than 2,000 research programs at more than 200 cancer centers and universities. The PCF global research enterprise now extends to 19 countries. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds for transformational cancer research. Its efforts have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer.  Connect with PCF: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

About BCRF

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is committed to being the end of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. By investing 91 cents of every dollar directly in its mission, BCRF remains one of the nation’s most fiscally responsible nonprofits. BCRF is the only breast cancer organization with an “A+” from CharityWatch, together with Charity Navigator’s highest rating of four stars 14 times since 2002. Visit www.bcrfcure.org to learn more.