Thermo Fisher Scientific Joins Cancer Moonshot Effort
Commitment to Vice President Biden’s initiative is part of larger precision medicine effort
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, has joined the Cancer Moonshot, an initiative
led by Vice President Joe Biden aimed at making more therapies available to more patients while also improving cancer detection at
early stages and, ultimately, preventing the disease. Initially, Thermo Fisher will join a liquid biopsy-based precision oncology
pilot, called the Blood Profiling Atlas designed to make it easier for oncologists to access databases of liquid biopsy
information when diagnosing patients.
“The Cancer Moonshot is an ambitious, all-hands initiative that requires the best minds and best technologies working
collaboratively,” said Marc N. Casper, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. “As part of our broader
focus on precision medicine, which includes investments to accelerate the development of more effective cancer screening,
detection, monitoring and treatment, we’re honored to contribute our data and expertise to this important initiative.”
Thermo Fisher is already an active collaborator globally in the war on cancer, working with governments and private sector
partners alike to support advancements in precision medicine. Active projects include the National Cancer Institute’s Molecular
Analysis for Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH) clinical trial in the U.S. The company is also supporting groundbreaking research by the
Karolinska Institute in Sweden to demonstrate the potential of integrating both protein biomarkers and genetic markers in a single
test for prostate cancer.
Consistent with the Cancer Moonshot mission, Thermo Fisher is focused on helping to make precision medicine technologies more
mainstream so that new diagnostics and therapies have clinical application and utility. Current research under way includes
developing cell-free DNA (ct-DNA) tumor detection tests, providing more effective ways to monitor responses to immunotherapy and
advancing liquid biopsy techniques.
“Thermo Fisher’s unique breadth of precision medicine solutions enables us to play an important role in initiatives such as the
Cancer Moonshot,” said Alan Sachs, chief scientific officer for Thermo Fisher. “From mass spectrometry for protein research to
next-generation targeted gene sequencing, we can offer a wealth of technologies, insight and data to make an immediate contribution
to the work that other collaborators are already doing.”
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $17 billion and more than
50,000 employees in 50 countries. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help
our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase
laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and
Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive
support. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
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