Viome and Helomics Partner to Identify Personalized Treatment for Ovarian Cancer Patients

SEATTLE, March 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Viome, a company transforming health through personalized nutrition based on individual biology, today announces it will collaborate with precision health leader, Helomics, to study the link between the gut microbiome and ovarian cancer. The teams will begin with a pilot study, which aims to reveal how different cancer treatments impact the gut microbiome, and if the microbiome affects effectiveness and toxicity of various cancer treatments. The hope is to transform these findings into an innovative and holistic approach to help oncologists better personalize ovarian cancer therapy.

"We are excited to kick off this novel study to help the millions of women suffering from ovarian cancer," says Naveen Jain, CEO and founder of Viome. "We believe the outcome of our work will be revolutionary and will offer powerful insights and effective treatments for patients."

The study will leverage Viome's proprietary microbiome analysis platform and artificial intelligence (AI) platform. This will be combined with Helomics' proprietary drug response and genomic profiling of the patients' tumor, coupled with its AI-powered bioinformatics platform, D-CHIP. The study will investigate if the gut microbiome differs between ovarian cancer patients and those without cancer.

"Helomics pioneered using knowledge gained from drug response and genomic profiling of the patient's living tumor to help individualize ovarian cancer therapy. The collaboration with Viome is groundbreaking, generating data from the microbiome combined with our existing data and using our respective AI platforms, to offer an innovative, holistic and personalized approach to helping oncologists choose the best treatment options for patients with ovarian cancer," commented Gerald Vardzel, President and CEO of Helomics Corporation.

Viome will also explore the role of nutrition and the gut microbiome in ovarian cancer patients post-treatment in order to develop personalized food recommendations to support and restore the immune system, appetite, and sleep patterns often weakened by cancer treatment. 

Another goal of this research study is to demonstrate that improving the gut microbiome through nutrition can play an important role in taking a holistic approach to treating ovarian. Results will be shared at the conclusion of the study. 

About Viome: Viome is defining the future of health through personalized nutrition based on individual biology. The company uses advanced technology developed for National Security at the Los Alamos National Lab to analyze all the genes expressed by the gut microbiome to assess if the body is converting the foods we consume into helpful nutrients or harmful toxins. Viome's artificial intelligence platform transforms these powerful insights into actions by delivering precise, personalized nutrition recommendations for healthy living.

To learn more about Viome and its mission to make illness optional, visit www.viome.com.

About Helomics:
Helomics is an artificial intelligence and data driven Personalized Healthcare company located in Pittsburgh, PA.  Helomics mission is to improve the standard of care for cancer patients (especially gynecological) through innovative research and development partnerships with pharmaceutical, diagnostic, biotechnology, and academic organizations, leading to better and more personalized treatments and diagnostic technologies for cancer. Helomics' CLIA-certified lab provides clinical testing that assists oncologists in individualizing patient treatment decisions, by providing an evidence-based roadmap for therapy.

In addition to its proprietary precision oncology platform, Helomics offers boutique CRO services that leverage its TruTumortm, patient-derived tumor models coupled to a wide range of multi-omics assays (genomics, proteomics and biochemical), and a proprietary bioinformatics platform (D-CHIP) to provide a tailored solution to our client's specific needs. The D-CHIP platform has been  developed through a joint venture with Skyline Medical Inc., producer of the FDA-approved STREAMWAY® System for automated, direct-to-drain medical fluid disposal, to leverage the Helomics D-CHIPtm platform to develop and market new approaches for personalized cancer diagnosis and care. 

For additional information, please visit www.Helomics.com.

About Precision Therapeutics Inc.
Precision Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AIPT) operates in two business areas: first, applying artificial intelligence to personalized medicine and drug discovery to provide personalized medicine solutions for patients and clinicians as well as clients in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and biotech industries, and second, production of the FDA-approved STREAMWAY® System for automated, direct-to-drain medical fluid disposal. For additional information, please visit www.precisiontherapeutics.com.

Precision Therapeutics' medicine business is committed to improving the effectiveness of cancer therapy using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) applied to rich data diseases databases. This business has launched with Precision Therapeutics' investment in Helomics Corporation. Helomics is 25% owned by Precision Therapeutics. 

Precision Therapeutics has also announced the formation of a subsidiary, TumorGenesis to pursue a new rapid approach to growing tumors in the laboratory, which essentially "fools" the cancer cells into thinking they are still growing inside the patient.  Precision Therapeutics and Helomics have also announced a proposed joint venture with GLG Pharma focused on using their combined technologies to bring personalized medicines and testing to ovarian and breast cancer patients, especially those who present with ascites fluid (over one-third of patients). The growth strategy in this business includes securing new partnerships and considering acquisitions in the precision medicine space.  Sold through the Skyline Medical business of Precision Therapeutics, The STREAMWAY System virtually eliminates staff exposure to blood, irrigation fluid and other potentially infectious fluids found in the healthcare environment.  Antiquated manual fluid handling methods that require hand carrying and emptying filled fluid canisters present an exposure risk and potential liability. Skyline Medical's STREAMWAY System fully automates the collection, measurement, and disposal of waste fluids and is designed to: 1) reduce overhead costs to hospitals and surgical centers; 2) improve compliance with OSHA and other regulatory agency safety guidelines; 3) improve efficiency in the operating room, and radiology and endoscopy departments, thereby leading to greater profitability; and 4) provide greater environmental stewardship by helping to eliminate the approximately 50 million potentially disease-infected canisters that go into landfills each year in the U.S.  For additional information, please visit www.skylinemedical.com.

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SOURCE Viome