Breakthrough in Israel in the Field of Cancer Treatment: Hadassah Medical Center and Roche Israel have signed a collaboration agreement under which personalized cancer treatment based on genomic profiling will be offered to cancer patients. For the first time in Israel, Hadassah Medical Center will offer oncology patients a unique integrated model of genomic profiling tests based on molecular and bioinformatics technologies from Roche and Foundation Medicine, to enable precise disease-targeted treatment at every stage.
“Implementing the integrated model will allow us to provide patients with the most advanced and innovative diagnostic tests for cancer,” states Prof. Yoram Weiss, CEO of Hadassah Medical Organization.
A collaboration agreement to provide personalized medical care for oncology patients in Israel has been signed between Hadassah Medical Center and Roche Israel. Under the agreement, comprehensive genomic profiling tests will be provided for patients of Hadassah Medical Center for more accurate cancer diagnosis, utilizing the AVENIO kit for solid tumor diagnostics, conducted at Hadassah Medical Center, and Foundation Medicine tests that will be sent to laboratories abroad.
“The implementation of the integrated model will enable us to provide patients with the most advanced and innovative diagnostic tests for cancer,” states Professor Yoram Weiss, CEO of Hadassah Medical Organization. “This collaboration is the result of dedicated and concerted work by the Medical Center’s team and Roche Israel’s team, in order to establish a unique model that positions Hadassah at the forefront of personalized cancer care in Israel and worldwide. Genomic testing for each patient will allow us to understand the molecular characteristics of the tumor and provide the most precise treatment available, among the treatments available in Israel and within the clinical trial framework, leading to the best possible outcomes. Furthermore, it will enable us to develop more AI-based tools to enhance patient care.”
“The collaboration with Hadassah Medical Center is the fulfillment of the Roche group’s vision in the field of personalized medicine and making these tools accessible to medical centers in Israel,” noted Netanel Amichai, CEO of Roche Diagnostics Israel, and Avi Danziger, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals Israel. “In addition to clinical advantages, this partnership will significantly advance scientific and research aspects of cancer management, potentially leading to further collaborative efforts that stem from this important milestone.”
Prof. Eli Pikarsky, Director of the Pathology Department at Hadassah Medical Center: “Currently, a limited number of cancer patients who are in advanced stages of the disease or those who do not respond to conventional treatments are eligible to receive genomic profiling. With this collaboration, we can perform genomic profiling for every patient, which benefits the patients on one hand and significantly increases the data available on the disease at its various stages on the other. Analyzing a large dataset will allow us a deeper understanding of each patient, the disease, and the treatment.”
Prof. Aharon Popovtzer, Director of the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah: “We are proud to provide cancer patients with the best molecular characterization and are convinced that it will immediately lead to an improvement in the quality of treatment for many patients. Additionally, this collaboration will allow us to develop innovative tools and offer many patients at Hadassah new drugs through clinical research. We are proud to stand alongside the world’s leading cancer centers.”
Comprehensive genomic profiling tests simultaneously allow the identification of all types of genomic alterations in a tumor, involving a large number of genes associated with cancer, in order to understand how cancer develops and grows. Accurate diagnosis of genomic alterations through advanced and precise genomic tests enables the treating physician to tailor the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, leading to optimal outcomes and avoiding unnecessary treatments. Hadassah Medical Center is one of the first centers in the world to sign the agreement with Roche, and the first in Israel.