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Prostate Cancer Lab #1: Launch, Introductions & Purpose

Meeting Summary

Advanced prostate cancer patients Brian McCloskey and Rick Stanton introduced themselves, their medical history, and their objectives for the Prostate Cancer Lab.

  • Brian McCloskey: 56-year-old tech marketing executive; diagnosed 5.5 years ago; on abiraterone; sees the challenge of personalizing his treatment as hinging on data and analytics; wants to bring cutting edge diagnostic data and integrate it to understand his disease and guide his treatment.
  • Rick Stanton: bioinformatician with many years in the pharmaceutical industry, including at Human Longevity, Inc., and Amgen; Stage IV; on chemo; wants to bring emerging research diagnostic technologies to his treatment decisions.
 

CancerHacker Lab founder Brad Power moderated and shared an overview of the Prostate Cancer Lab and its purpose.

  • Building on the hackathon for advanced prostate cancer patient Bryce Olson in 2021.
  • Lab process: attract patients, gather data, analyze data and find treatment options, define treatment strategy.
  • Have attracted diverse companies and individuals willing to help: diagnosticians, bioinformaticians, treatment matching, patient advocates, and clinicians.
  • Focus on accelerating the use of cutting edge diagnostics (RNA, proteomics, single cell, spatial analysis), which are currently “Research Use Only”, for clinical decision-making.
 

Several of the participants introduced themselves, including:

  • Nik Schork: of TGen, an organization bridging between health data and clinical guidance – has developed a protocol, approved by an IRB, to grant patients access to research data about them.
  • Rick Davis: leader of AnCan, a community of cancer patients – clarified treatment options.
  • Lea Ann Biafora: oncology nurse, founder of Beacon Associates; 
  • Jason Sager: pediatric oncologist; 
  • Stacy Hurt: patient advocate, colorectal cancer survivor; 
  • Jeff Waldron: healthcare community connector; 
  • Jan Sobieralski: advanced prostate cancer patient.

Meeting Recording

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