Acorn Research, LLC

ACORN Research held their annual investigator meeting in Memphis on March 2-3. The meeting was attended by over 100 research staff, and included physicians and nurses from ACORN Network Sites across the country. The largest group came from The West Clinic, the flagship site for the ACORN Network. The meeting focused on the growing complexity of clinical trials in oncology, and the need to match patients to trial opportunities most likely to provide an optimal treatment response. ACORN is introducing a program to facilitate the molecular characterization of tumor tissue early in a patient’s evaluation so that comprehensive biomarker data is available in time to inform clinical care decisions.

A key presentation was made by Dr. Lee Schwartzberg on the coming era of ‘precision oncology’ that will match treatments to the genetics of the individual tumor. Because most of the agents that are targeted based on molecular tumor characteristics are still in development, having access to a broad portfolio of research studies is needed to provide patients with the best possible outcomes. As these agents are approved for standard use, the technological processes used to match patients to research trials will be used to match patients to the best available treatment regimen. A broad collaboration by oncologists, pathologists, and research teams is needed to support this new model of oncology care delivery. The West Clinic is the lead site in implementing this new model as designed by ACORN Research.

March 4-7, 2012
The Marriot World Center
Orlando, FL
Schedule a Meeting

Partnership Will Offer Standardized Molecular Profiling to Improve the Link Between Testing and Treatment

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clarient, Inc., a GE Healthcare company (NYSE:GE), and ACORN Research LLC announced today their strategic collaboration around molecular testing of tumor samples. The agreement will establish a standardized testing protocol across the ACORN network of oncology community practices and hospitals with treatment guidelines and clinical trial opportunities. These processes have the potential to improve oncology treatment and research that aim to deliver targeted treatments based on the specific genetic markers for each patient.

“We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Clarient, a company which shares our commitment to improving patient outcomes in community oncology, where 85% of all cancer patients are treated”
The collaboration will establish a system for the collection of a broad array of tumor-specific biomarker data at the time of the patient’s initial cancer diagnosis. Clarient’s expertise in cancer diagnostics, combined with ACORN’s oncology network and advanced bioinformatics platform, will enable the patient’s medical team to better determine the most effective treatment regimen for the patient’s tumor-specific biomarker profile.

The Clarient-ACORN collaboration will also enable matching broad biomarker data with outcomes data from clinical trials and clinical practice to help identify new prognostic markers and biomarker-specific treatments. Molecular profiling will be the topic of numerous conversations as both the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and the American Society of Hematology get underway this week.

“As part of our commitment to take cancer personally, we are pleased to be working together with ACORN Research to provide oncologists within their network with a full menu of molecular testing, which can help identify the unique characteristics or biomarkers of a particular cancer. This information provides pathologists with crucial information to assist oncologists in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning,” said Ron Andrews, CEO of Clarient. “Also, the opportunity to discover new markers that could be relevant in the individualized treatment of cancer has the potential to improve mortality rates, enhance patient quality of life and reduce the cost burden on cancer treatment to both patients and payers.”

“We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Clarient, a company which shares our commitment to improving patient outcomes in community oncology, where 85% of all cancer patients are treated,” said Lee Schwartzberg, MD, President of ACORN Research. “Our collaboration is a leap forward in bringing the most advanced diagnostics and bioinformatics tools to accelerate the use of personalized medicine in this setting.”

About Clarient, Inc.

Clarient combines innovative diagnostic technologies with world class pathology expertise to assess and characterize cancer. Clarient's mission is to become the leader in cancer diagnostics by dedicating itself to collaborative relationships with the healthcare community to translate cancer discovery and research into better patient care. Clarient's principal customers include pathologists, oncologists, hospitals, and biopharmaceutical companies. The rise of individualized medicine as the new direction in oncology has created the need for a centralized resource providing leading diagnostic technologies, such as flow cytometry and molecular testing. Clarient is that resource, having created a state-of-the-art commercial cancer laboratory providing advanced oncology testing and diagnostic services. Clarient's customers are connected to its Internet-based portal, PATHSITE® that delivers high-resolution images and critical interpretive reports based on its diagnostic testing. Clarient also develops and markets new, proprietary "companion" diagnostic markers for therapeutics in breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, and colon cancers, and leukemia/lymphoma. For more information, visit www.clarientinc.com.

About ACORN Research LLC

ACORN Research, LLC is a multi-faceted research organization that combines a network of committed oncology research sites with centralized site management, a unique bioinformatics platform that combines the complete EMR record with patient reported outcomes in support of health outcomes research in oncology [Health Outcomes PharmacoEconomics Service Line (HOPE)], and a Contract Research Organization [CRO] capable of performing full study management into one seamless research operation. ACORN Research, LLC includes an infrastructure of medical oncologists, doctoral level scientists, statisticians, and other professional staff with many years of oncology specific research experience. www.acornresearch.net.

Contacts

GE Healthcare
Aleisia Gibson
609-514-6046 (office)
609-865-4004 (mobile)
Aleisia.gibson@ge.com
or
Scott Lerman
609-514-6346 (office)
609-937-9352 (mobile)
scott.lerman@ge.com
or
ACORN Research
Donna McDonnell
901-260-9284 (office)
dmcdonnell@acornresearch.net
 

MEMPHIS, TN., November 10, 2011 — ACORN Research has expanded its research footprint to support advances in personalized medicine and translational research, by offering high-quality biospecimens coupled with unprecedented premium data to industry and academic research through its partnership with AdeptBio, LLC (http://www.adeptbio.com). 

ACORN Research is able to provide CRO services as needed to facilitate prospective collections of biospecimens from targeted study populations. “Development of new targeted therapies and companion diagnostics rely on availability of tissues, and increasingly biofluids, linked to deep clinical data. Banked samples are less able to meet this need, and therefore our model is aimed at optimizing prospective collections,” reports Dr. Lee Schwartzberg, president of ACORN Research.
 

Leif Honda, AdeptBio, LLC, CEO, adds, “Researcher’s needs are changing as biomarkers and companion diagnostics emerge along with new regulatory requirements. AdeptBio’s relationship with ACORN Research presents an end-to-end answer to meet those needs. We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with ACORN Research as a CRO with an excellent history of success with its clients and rapport with their oncology network."

ACORNResearch and AdeptBio are committed to helping the research community make significant advancements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, through the provision of relevant, leading edge biospecimens and associated data.

About ACORN Research, LLC

ACORNResearch, LLC is a multi-faceted research organization that combines a network of committed oncology research sites supported by centralized research processes; a bioinformatics platform that joins EMR data with ePRO data to support health outcomes research and clinical trial efficiencies; and a contract research organization focused exclusively on oncology. We offer high quality biospecimens and biofluids using unmatched sophistication in donor services.

About AdeptBio, LLC

AdeptBio, LLC is a human biospecimen contract procurement organization formed through a partnership between experts in specimen procurement, contract research, biomarker discovery, diagnostics and therapeutic R&D. AdeptBio addresses the dramatically underserved needs of pharmaceutical and diagnostic R&D companies by overcoming the challenges of supply constraints, quality, consistency, and sample diversification. The company offers complete transparency in acquisition and accrual rates across a robust network providing thorough patient data and sample characterization, and the option for longitudinal access to information. The goal of the company is to meet increasing regulatory demands by providing the most complete medical information available to researchers.

To learn more, visit http://www.acornresearch.net.

Contact:

Donna McDonnell

ACORNResearch, LLC

901.260.9284

dmcdonnell@acornresearch.net

http:www.acornresearch.net

Memphis Business Journal
Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2011, 7:26am CDT

Memphis Business Journal held its 13th annual Health Care Heroes awards event last night, honoring the program's 20 finalists, five winners and lifetime achievement award recipient.

The winners in each category are:

• Administrative Excellence: Reginald W. Coopwood, president and CEO, Regional Medical Center at Memphis
 

• Community Outreach: Le Bonheur Early Intervention and Development, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
• Health Care Innovations: Lee Schwartzberg, senior partner and medical director, The West Clinic
• Health Care Provider Non-Physician: Renee S. Frazier, CEO, Healthy Memphis Common Table
• Health Care Provider Physician: William Hickerson, Medical director, Firefighters Regional Burn Center; Professor of plastic surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center ; Chief of burn surgery, UT Medical Group Inc. and UTHSC

Marion Dugdale received the lifetime achievement recognition. Dugdale — director of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Hemophilia Clinic — boasts a hematology career that spans nearly six decades.
 
Click here to view a slideshow of all the 2011 Health Care Heroes finalists.

Click here to view full article.  

ACORN Research, LLC will be closed on Monday, November 15, 2010 while we are relocating to our new offices at 6555 Quince, Suite 400, Memphis, TN 38119. All of our phone/fax numbers along with email addresses will remain the same. We will reopen at our new location on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 with our regular business hours.

Contact Information:

                                                                                                                                                                 Donna McDonnell

901.260.9284

dmcdonnell@acornresearch.net

West Clinic Receives Clinical Trials Participation Award from ASCO

Memphis, TN/ June 7, 2010– The West Clinic, a world-class center of excellence in oncology, hematology, radiology and other advanced medical care, announced today that it is one of only 10 community oncology practices nationwide to receive an honor from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and The ASCO Cancer Foundation for efforts to improve care of people with cancer through participation in clinical trials. ASCO’s 2010 Clinical Trials Participation Award (CTPA) was presented to The West Clinic on June 6, 2010 during ASCO’s 46^th Annual Meeting in Chicago.

According to Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, Medical Director, “The West Clinic has been the Mid-South’s leading provider of ongoing clinical research for over 25 years.  We are proud to accept this recognition from ASCO, the premier worldwide organization of cancer providers.  Clinical research is a vital endeavor for The West Clinic as we recognize that today’s clinical trials hold tomorrow’s successful cancer therapies.” 

The West Clinic was nominated by ACORN Research for this award.  “We conduct clinical trials with many oncology research sites around the country and are consistently impressed with the commitment to the research mission we observe at The West Clinic,” explained Edward J. Stepanski, PhD, Chief Operating Officer of ACORN Research.

The Clinical Trials Participation Awards, supported by a grant from the Coalition of Cooperative Groups, enable ASCO to recognize 10 practices based on several factors including patient accrual rates, accrual of minority and underrepresented populations, and innovative techniques in overcoming barriers to participation in clinical trials. Of the 1.3 million people who will be diagnosed with cancer this year, only 3 to 5 percent will participate in cancer-related clinical trials.

About The West Clinic

The West Clinic is the Mid-South’s premier provider of multidisciplinary cancer care with 30 specialty providers in medical oncology, hematology, gynecologic oncology, diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, endocrinology, rheumatology, pain & palliative care, internal medicine, and psychology. West Clinic currently has eight clinics in Memphis, the Mid-South, and North Mississippi. As a nationally-recognized leader in cancer research, West Clinic has consistently been one of the first centers nationally to gain experience with most of the major advances in adult cancer. For a list of available clinical trials at The West Clinic visit www.westclinic.com.

About ACORN Research, LLC

ACORN Research, LLC is a multi-faceted research organization that combines a network of committed oncology research sites with centralized site management, a BioBank with a commitment to the advancement of bioscience, HOPE [Health Outcomes PharmacoEconomics], and a Contract Research Organization [CRO] into one seamless research operation. ACORN Research, LLC includes an infrastructure of medical oncologists, doctoral level scientists, statisticians, and other professional staff with many years of oncology specific research experience. www.acornresearch.net.

About The ASCO Cancer Foundation

The ASCO Cancer Foundation funds research and education programs both in the U.S. and abroad. By harnessing the knowledge of more than 28,000 oncology professionals in the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), we help deliver physician-approved information directly to those in need. Through these efforts, we improve the lives of those affected by cancer. For more information visit www.ascocancerfoundation.org.

About ASCO

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 28,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs, and peer-reviewed journals. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.Cancer.Net.

For additional information please contact Donna McDonnell, 901.260.9284.