NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Strata Oncology today announced the start of the Strata Trial, a nationwide observational study under which an expected 100,000 patients with advanced cancers will receive no-cost tumor sequencing and clinical trial matching.
According to Strata, the study is designed to evaluate the impact of tumor sequencing on clinical trial enrollment. As previously reported by GenomeWeb, Strata anticipates eventually charging pharmaceutical partners to match cancer patients with their precision medicine trials.
Strata said that the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Center have agreed to participate in the trial, offering eligible patients access to tumor sequencing with the Strata next-generation sequencing test and gaining access to Strata's portfolio of pharmaceutical company-sponsored clinical trials.
Regional hospitals affiliated with the cancer centers may also participate in the study, with additional clinical partnerships expected in the future, Strata said.
"We are proud to first launch the Strata Trial at UNC Lineberger and UAB, both prominent cancer centers at the forefront of cancer research and care," Strata CEO Dan Rhodes said in a statement. "I am grateful for their commitment and shared vision and look forward to building on our momentum to scale the Strata Trial, both to substantially broaden patient access and to accelerate our pharma partners' precision oncology clinical trials."