Cerner Collaboration to Increase Access to Cancer Clinical Trials

The company's Learning Health Network teams with Elligo Health Research and Freenome to Advance Early Cancer Detection

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ:CERN), Elligo Health Research^® and Freenome are collaborating to enable a clinical trial through the Learning Health Network to help advance early cancer detection. Together they will be using the research-activated network of health systems, real-world data (RWD) and multiomics technology, developed by Freenome, with the goal to help accelerate early cancer detection.

This will be one of the first cancer screening trials available to Cerner's rapidly growing Learning Health Network (LHN), a group of more than 85 diverse health systems across the U.S., who are working together to help advance research and increase equitable access to clinical trials by contributing de-identified data. Trial participation will help LHN members bring innovative cancer prevention testing to the communities they serve – no matter their size or where they are located. Freenome, Cerner and Elligo will team up to use RWD to drive the Sanderson Study, an upcoming clinical trial to detect multiple types of cancer which is IRB approved and uses new multiomics technology.

Early cancer detection has been shown to not only increase survival rates, but earlier diagnosis can help lower treatment morbidity and improve quality of life — for both patients and caregivers — compared to later diagnosis. Other studies estimated significant cancer treatment cost savings from early detection, approximately $26 billion per year in the U.S.

Elligo Health Research, the largest healthcare-enabling research organization, will work with LHN members to accelerate site activation and enroll a large volume of diverse patients much faster than traditional recruitment models. Spanning the U.S., the collaboration will enable diverse patient participation, across a wide variety of demographics, socio-economic factors and all sizes of communities.

"The clinical research Cerner will enable has the potential to advance early cancer detection so patients can seek timely treatment and improve their chances of survival," said Christy Dueck, vice president, Cerner Enviza. "Data and technology have the power to help clinicians and researchers expand therapeutic knowledge and accelerate their development and delivery, which can improve people's lives around the world."

Freenome's multiomics platform combines both tumor and non-tumor signals with machine learning to detect cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages using a standard blood draw. Freenome, a privately held biotech company, is pioneering a patient-centric framework for multi-cancer early detection with single cancer and multi-cancer test baskets, using the same multiomics platform. This will more closely align with existing diagnostic care pathways to tailor future testing recommendations to individuals and optimize for clinical utility, reducing diagnostic odysseys.

"Our long-term goal is to advance multi-cancer products into clinical practice to save more lives," said Riley Ennis, chief product officer, Freenome. "This collaboration with Cerner and Elligo will enable us to generate real-world evidence and make our clinical studies available to more people, to save more lives."

"Faster clinical studies mean faster speed to market, which means more patients getting the medicine and technologies they need, sooner," said John Potthoff, Ph.D., CEO, Elligo. "Elligo's platform, together with Cerner's Learning Health Network, has the ability to significantly accelerate startup and engagement with thousands of patients for any study. We're thrilled to be part of this collaborative effort to advance important life-saving and life-changing early cancer detection technology."

About Cerner

Cerner's health technologies connect people and information systems at thousands of contracted provider facilities worldwide dedicated to creating smarter and better care for individuals and communities. Recognized globally for innovation, Cerner assists clinicians in making care decisions and assists organizations in managing the health of their populations. The company also offers a connected clinical and financial ecosystem to help manage day-to-day revenue functions, as well as a wide range of services to support clinical, financial and operational needs, focused on people. For more information, visit Cerner.com, Cerner Perspectives, connect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or join the discussion on Cerner's podcast Perspectives on Health & Tech. Nasdaq: CERN. 

About Elligo Health Research^®

Elligo Health Research accelerates clinical trials through healthcare with access to known patients and their HIPAA-compliant healthcare data, our IntElligo^® Research Stack technology, and our hybrid enrollment model, PatientSelect. Coupled with the largest Known Patient Access Network, Elligo's Site Solutions enable healthcare practices and research sites to participate in clinical trials. By adaptive engagement of known patients and physicians, we accelerate the development of new pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device and diagnostic products.

About Freenome

Freenome is a biotechnology company with a comprehensive multiomics platform for the early detection of cancer using a blood draw. The company combines its deep expertise in molecular biology with advanced computational biology and machine learning to detect disease-associated patterns among billions of circulating cell-free biomarkers. Freenome is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.

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SOURCE Cerner Corp.