GE 100M Healthymagination Winners (2 for TNBC)

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   In September 2011, GE and partners launched a $100 million open innovation Challenge, which sought to identify and accelerate ideas that advance breast cancer early detection and diagnostics. Through a series of challenges, we welcomed researchers, businesses, students and other innovators to submit breakthrough ideas for funding consideration. During phase one of the Challenge, which closed on November 20th, nearly 4,000 people engaged on the Challenge portal, submitting over 500 ideas and leaving 170 comments. 
From those submissions, five seed winners were selected by an independent judging panel and were awarded $100,000 each from GE to develop ideas relating to the diagnosis, treatment, and awareness of breast cancer.

The five innovation challenge award winners are...

MyCancerGenome- Personalized Approach to Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee is developing MyCancerGenome, a free online cancer medicine resource and decision-making tool for physicians, patients, caregivers and researchers. It provides up-to-date information on what mutations make breast cancer grow and related treatment implications, including available genome-directed clinical trials for triple negative breast cancer.

Creating Safer & Stronger Breast Implants with Cancer-fighting and Healing Properties:  The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio is developing new materials for breast reconstruction to transform tissue expanders and implants into cancer-fighting and healing devices. Using coatings embedded with pharmaceutical agents the new device is expected to help fight infection, reduce inflammation, and possibly even target and destroy stray cancer cells.

Identifying a Predisposition to Cancer Spread: Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida is working to understand the genetic "modifier" genes and their role in predisposition to the spread of cancer to other parts of the body following cancer onset.  This research could form the basis of diagnostic testing for genes that place a patient at disproportionate risk for cancer spread and guide aggressiveness of treatment.

Saving Lives in Developing Countries: For developing countries such as Uganda, breast ultrasound holds promise in identifying cancers in young women with palpable lumps. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington and Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Kampala are establishing a breast cancer screening program where women will receive education about breast cancer and those with symptoms will be offered clinical breast exam and breast ultrasound. Women with suspicious lumps will be referred to the UCI for tissue sampling and, if malignancy is diagnosed, treatment.

Moving to Personalized Therapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee have demonstrated that gene expression analysis reveals at least six distinct disease subtypes for triple negative breast cancer that likely respond differently to chemotherapy. Using this discovery, the Center is designing clinical trials with targeted therapy for select subtypes which will soon be offered to patients.

More information at www.healthymagination.com.