Foundation Medicine Joins Forces to Advance Treatment for Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

At Foundation Medicine, we are dedicated to advancing precision medicine to transform cancer care. And we recognize that collaboration among industry, academia, advocacy and others is essential for accelerating the development of new precision treatment approaches for patients with cancer – – especially those with rare, difficult to treat and advanced stages of cancer.

Today we announce a collaboration with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and members of the biopharmaceutical community, as we embark on the first-ever blood cancer master trial to advance treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). AML is the most lethal of all blood cancers, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths each year, and has seen few improvements in treatments in more than 40 years.

The trial, which is sponsored by LLS and formally named the “Beat AML Master Trial,” seeks to change the paradigm for how this deadly cancer is treated, using a precision medicine protocol. The trial will employ comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) with our FoundationOne® Heme assay to find and match specific AML mutations in newly diagnosed patients over age 60 with investigational drugs or drugs best suited to attack the specific genomic mutations causing their cancer. A unique facet of the trial is that newly diagnosed patients will have their genomic data analyzed within seven days so they can be entered into the appropriate study arm – – an aspect of the trial design which is intended to streamline the time between diagnosis and treatment.

We are honored to participate in this important initiative to help advance the discovery of new precision treatment approaches for patients with AML and to help physicians identify investigational options that their individual patients might potentially benefit from based on their genomic profile. It is these types of collaborative initiatives that will ultimately contribute to significant advancements in precision medicine and cancer care.

For more information on the Beat AML Master Trial, view the full news release here.