GE Healthcare, a division of the General Electric Company, has announced that it is to join forces with Oxford University to study the pathology of colorectal cancer, with the aim of achieving earlier diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The two-year collaboration is the first ever to focus on developing a comprehensive disease management program which will focus on improved staging of the disease using both imaging and genomic pathology, targeted therapy selection and efficacy assessment, and overalltreatment monitoring. A major goal will be to create a coherent picture of a patient’s disease and determine the most effective treatment.
Cancer research collaboration announced
The study could act as a model for changing and improving the way a variety of cancers and other diseases are treated. GE Healthcare will contribute expertise in genomic and information technologies, and Oxford University will provide clinical data and medical and research expertise. The project aims to shift the colorectal cancer model from late disease – discovering diseases late when intervention is costly and less effective – to early health – predicting disease based on genetic analysis and selecting treatment customised to the individual. Both organisations will study technology to aid in four major stages of disease identification and treatment – prediction, screening, diagnosis and treatment.
