Tempus Teams with Major Academic Medical Center to Advance Treatment Options for Patients Diagnosed with Aggressive Brain Cancer

Published in Yahoo! Finance – March 2, 2017

Tempus, a technology company focused on helping doctors personalize cancer care by collecting, sorting and analyzing clinical and molecular data, announced that it will work with Duke University School of Medicine on an initiative to accelerate research and treatment for brain cancer.

Scientists at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke have engineered a version of the poliovirus that they are using to treat glioblastoma patients. In 2012, the university began its first clinical trial for the treatment. In May 2016, it was awarded “breakthrough” status by the Food and Drug Administration, which could accelerate the development and review of this approach.

“Patients who face incredible odds are most in need of innovation,” said Eric Lefkofsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Tempus. “We are pleased to partner with the forward-thinking team at Duke who recognize the importance of equipping their researchers and physicians with the information and technology they need to accelerate discovery.”

Tempus will provide molecular sequencing and analysis for glioblastoma patients participating in the poliovirus research study at Duke. Glioblastoma tumors are typically highly malignant and aggressive and tend to grow and spread quickly, leaving healthcare providers with limited options. Although participating in a study, physicians will have access to clinically actionable genomic results that may help inform this highly novel trial in ways that make it more therapeutically impactful for patients.

“We are at an incredibly exciting time in medicine,” said Dr. Darell Bigner, Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. “The ability to aggregate and analyze clinical, molecular, treatment and outcome data for patients battling cancer can be a game-changer as we work to better understand our patients, what is driving their cancer and which treatment option is best.”

Tempus provides molecular sequencing and clinical analytic solutions for top academic centers, hospital systems, associations, and healthcare providers.