Your quarterly update from the MCGI team October 2024 — December 2024
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Your quarterly update from the MCGI team October 2024 — December 2024
Mark your calendars! We are thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated 2025 Forum will be held November 14-15 at Marriott Sable Oaks in South Portland, Maine!
This year’s forum marks a seasonal shift to fall, offering the chance to embrace Maine’s crisp autumn atmosphere while engaging in impactful discussions and innovations in cancer genomics.
The 2025 Forum will feature:
Registration opens in May! Take advantage of our Early Bird Discount and register by July 18 to save on fees. Standard registration will remain open until November.
Stay tuned! Details on the full agenda, keynote speakers and workshop topics will be announced in the coming months. Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates!
Questions? Contact us at [email protected].
We’re excited to debut our newest patient resource: the “Why Consider Participating in a Clinical Trial” video is now available in our video library!
Watch Now: https://youtu.be/sZX64u2XSlg
This video was designed to help cancer patients, and their loved ones, understand the value of clinical trials as a treatment option and highlight the importance of starting the conversation with your healthcare team.
In addition to this video, check out our other education resources:
Questions? Contact us at [email protected].
We were proud to showcase the outstanding contributions of our MCGI interns — Kassidy Plummer, Riddhavee Kapadia, and Emma Crum — at the Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society Annual Meeting held in November. These three students presented their impactful research through poster sessions.
💡 Kassidy Plummer presented her findings on, "Expanding the Impact of Precision Oncology for Rural Patients: Using Business Modeling to Optimize Genomic Tumor Boards." Her work focused on identifying time-intensive steps in the GTB process using BPM. By pinpointing inefficiencies, her research highlights the potential for software and AI-driven solutions to streamline workflows, ultimately making GTBs more accessible and impactful for rural oncology care.
💡 Riddhavee Kapadia presented her findings on, "Comparative Study: Demographic, Geographic, and Socioeconomic Analysis of MCGI and Maine Cancer Registry Data." Her research compared two testing modalities — focused molecular testing and broad-panel next-generation sequencing — to identify genomic markers in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. The findings highlight the value of using both testing methods to create comprehensive genomic profiles, enabling more personalized treatment strategies and improving access to precision oncology for diverse patient populations.
💡 Emma Crum presented her findings on, "The Impact of Expanding HER2-Targeted Therapy in Maine Patients: Analyzing the MCGI HER2 Cohort and Implications for Future Testing and Treatment Strategies in Rural Populations." Her research explored the significant impact of expanded HER2-targeted therapy approvals, which have increased eligibility for HER2 testing from 27.7% to 72.3% of patients in Maine’s MCGI cohort. These developments open new treatment options for cancers that previously lacked targeted therapies, while also raising important considerations about cost-effectiveness and clinical utility in rural healthcare systems.
Additionally, Jens Rueter, M.D. from JAX and Christine Walko, Pharm.D. from the Moffitt Cancer Center, led an engaging session titled “Putting the ‘Person’ in ‘Personalized Medicine.” Rueter highlighted MCGI’s evolution and ongoing efforts, while Walko shared insights into Moffitt’s precision oncology program. The session also explored exciting developments in tumor-agnostic drug approvals, with discussion on BRAF-targeting therapies and trastuzumab deruxtecan’s transformative potential across various tumor types.
The 2024 GTB ECHO series, a collaborative initiative between the American Cancer Society and The Jackson Laboratory, concluded in November 2024. This program aimed to bridge the treatment gap between community oncology practices and academic medical centers by providing clinicians with expert guidance on genomic data interpretation and personalized cancer treatment strategies.
Over the course of the series, leading experts delivered didactic presentations on pivotal topics, including:
Cases were submitted by providers from institutions such as Southwestern VT Regional Cancer Center; Seacoast Cancer Center; Wentworth Douglas Hospital; VA Medical Center-White River Junction, VT; Catholic Medical Center; Northwestern VT Medical Center; and SolutionHealth Eliot Hospital/Solinsky Cancer Center, forming a foundation for meaningful, case-based discussions.
The program was further enriched by the expertise of advisors Christine Walko, Pharm.D. and Todd Knepper, Pharm.D. from the Moffitt Cancer Center, and Kara Landry, M.D. from the University of Vermont, who guided in-depth discussions and case evaluations.
By fostering a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, the GTB ECHO series enabled oncologists, pathologists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals to enhance their expertise in precision oncology.
For more information about the GTB ECHO program, please visit the American Cancer Society ECHO website.
MCGI Medical Director, Jens Rueter, M.D., spoke at the 2024 State of AI in Precision Health Conference hosted by Northeastern University on October 10. His presentation shed light on AI’s transformative role in precision oncology, redefining how we approach personalized cancer care.
Rueter emphasized how the power of AI can enhance the analysis of complex genomic data. By leveraging AI-driven tools, clinicians can interpret intricate datasets with unprecedented speed and accuracy, empowering them to make more informed treatment decisions. This advancement not only streamlines clinical workflows, it also translates into improved patient outcomes — a cornerstone of MCGI’s mission to elevate cancer care.
A key highlight includes the discussion on AI’s potential to analyze large-scale datasets for predictive insights. These capabilities enable the identification of patterns and trends that might otherwise remain undetected, paving the way for innovative treatment strategies tailored to individual patients. However, integrating AI into oncology requires robust collaboration between clinicians and AI developers. Such partnerships are essential to ensure the tools developed are both clinically relevant and effective in real-world applications. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, the field of precision oncology can continue to advance, driving innovation in cancer treatment and research.
To delve deeper into Rueter’s insights, watch the full talk here.
A Genomic Tumor Board recommends considering an off-label drug for your patient. What is the next best step to access this treatment?
Find the answer in the resource Accessing Off-Label and Experimental Drugs.
Learn more about navigating options for obtaining genome-informed treatments in the resource How Do I Get from Here to There? Navigating Precision Medicine in Cancer.
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