Phoenix Children’s Hospital, with the help of a billionaire physician, is launching the Chan Soon-Shiong Children’s Precision Medicine Institute, which will include a cloud-based super computer that lets physicians utilize genome data that could help lead to more personalized treatments.
The project is being backed by billionaire and pharmaceutical entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. It will help the hospital gain further access to genomic research and a large pediatric patient base, according to Phoenix Children’s.
“Our goal is to bring genomics research to the forefront of pediatrics,” said Robert Meyer, president and CEO of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, in a statement.
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Soon-Shiong is the founder of Nantworks, largely dedicated to applying genomic and proteomic analysis studies to translate diagnoses and cures more quickly and accurately. So far, his efforts have been focused on the adult population.
Essentially, the institute aims to sequence and analyze genomic at a much quicker pace than before, reflecting the national push toward big data and genetic sequencing. Appropriate patients undergo full genome sequencing and proteomics analysis in an unprecedented seven days.
“Current genome sequencing takes time,” Meyer said. “And that’s something that these patients don’t have.
The new genomic analysis will target therapeutic remedies based on the individual’s unique genetic makeup. In time, Soon-Shiong’s technology will lead to a comprehensive genomic database platform, from which a shared information consortium will be integrated into a global diagnosis, treatment, and result-based methodology, according to the hospital. A vast bank of pediatric patient data will be generated via a consortium of children’s hospitals, led by Phoenix Children’s.
