Several Philadelphia area medical schools and two pediatric hospitals are joining forces to create the Philadelphia Coalition for a Cure, a collaboration that will focus on brain tumor research and individualized treatment, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The participating entities include University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, the Drexel University College of Medicine, The Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, as well as the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange, Calif.
The neurosurgery departments of the participating organizations announced their plans to work together on Feb. 3. They plan to provide children and adults with GPS Cancer screenings, which involves personalized molecular profiling technology provided by NantHealth that allows physicians to skip general treatment and immediately identify the best treatment plan for each individual patient, according to the report.
CHOP served as the coordinating site for the coalition, nicknamed PC4C. Founding Directors Adam Resnick, PhD, and Phillip B. "Jay" Storm, MD, chief of the division of neurosurgery at CHOP, led the cause, according to the report.
Independence Blue Cross will cover the costs of the GPS Cancer tests for all insurance holders, according to the report. The PC4C members hope to offer the test to anyone in need.