NEW YORK – Cancer diagnostics company C2i Genomics said Tuesday that it is teaming with healthcare group purchasing organization Premier to make artificial intelligence-enabled cancer detection and monitoring technology available to the 4,000 or so US hospitals in the Premier network.
As the centerpiece of the collaboration, C2i Genomics will partner with eight unspecified Premier member organizations to implement its C2-Intelligence Platform. That cancer diagnostics system, which expands on an earlier offering called MRDetect, using AI pattern recognition and whole-genome analysis to detect minimal residual disease, or MRD, in cancer patients.
In rolling out the system, New York-based C2i, a joint venture between the New York Genome Center and Weill Cornell Medicine researchers, will combine its own MRD data with Premier's existing clinical datasets.
C2i said that physicians can use its technology to find trace amounts of persistent or recurrent cancer from just 2 milliliters of blood much earlier and at far lower levels than they could before, and that its cloud-based technology can then provide actionable insights into disease progression in as little as one week. The company has also claimed that its platform is up to 100 times more sensitive than competing platforms.
"By deploying the C2-Intelligence Platform to Premier's broad network of provider settings, we have the potential to make real differences in the lives of patients," Asaf Zviran, C2i cofounder and CEO, said in a statement. "We're also excited to see what new insights and treatment efficiencies we can unlock by combining our rich datasets."
Denise Juliano, group vice president for the Premier Applied Sciences division of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Premier, said that the partnership with C2i will enable member institutions to improve their understanding of MRD monitoring for recurrence of cancer. "This collaboration will also provide us with the unique ability to develop a robust genomics database to drive more insights and further improve our ability to help members deliver high-quality care," Juliano added.
This collaboration comes a little more than a month after C2i signed an agreement with Singapore-based genomic services provider NovogeneAIT Genomics to launch its C2-Intelligence Platform for MRD detection in Southeast Asia.
Privately held C2i closed a $100 million financing round in April. While that round was not named, the firm also had a Series A worth $12 million in June 2020.