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UCSF Selects Syapse Platform to Support Cancer Testing

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NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Syapse said last week that the University of California, San Francisco's Genomic Medicine Initiative and its Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, have selected its cloud-based software to support oncology testing.

Syapse's platform pools information from genomic testing and analysis, personalized treatment regimens, and clinical and outcomes data and integrates it directly into UCSF's electronic medical record system. It provides the infrastructure needed to return test results in a doctor-friendly format and enables clinicians to explore these results in the context of "a patient's clinical history, receive guidance based on our institution's best practices, query for additional information, [include] outcomes of prior UCSF patients, and to ultimately provide better care for their patients," Kristen McCaleb, program manager for UCSF’s Genomic Medicine Initiative, said in a statement.

UCSF oncologists will be able to, for example, order the 'UCSF 500,' which is a panel of more than 500 gene mutations that have been implicated in a range of cancers, with tools built directly into their patients’ EMRs. When completed, the test results will automatically appear in a Syapse-powered window in the EMR, and from there, physicians can consult with a newly formed molecular tumor board on customized treatment plans for each patient. The board's recommendations will be recorded in Syapse's system. The system will also be used to track and record the clinical course of each patient.

Furthermore, a de-identified version of each patient’s clinical history from Apex, UCSF’s Epic-based EMR, along with information on how patients respond to treatments will be added to a dedicated clinical research knowledgebase within Syapse's infrastructure and used to inform decisions in future cases.

"Our top priority is benefiting our patients today, but if we can begin to collect and leverage the knowledge we gain from each positive patient outcome, and combine our experience with that of others doing similar work worldwide, future patients may be able to sidestep conventional therapies and go directly to the best targeted therapy as a first-line treatment," McCaleb said.