Entrepreneur, Haute Partners | January 14, 2025

Finding A “Cure” For Cancer: First Ascent Biomedical Makes Advances In Treatment

Entrepreneur, Haute Partners | January 14, 2025

By Haute Living

From right to left, Tina Vidal-Duart, Carlos Duart, Dr. Diane Azzam, Lea Hokayem (my daughter), Diana Jenner, Logan Jenner (childhood cancer survivor and known to be Patient #13 in the study), and Mary Jane Jenner.

Photo Credit: Dr. Azzam

We’ve all heard the expression, “My goal is to discover a cure for cancer” or “That kid is so smart; someday she will find a cure for cancer.”

For nearly everyone who has ever said or thought it, it’s usually a metaphor that stands as a statement of personal ambition and success. Generally, it means that a person will do great things and especially those that will help humanity, even if, in reality, that great thing is not actually discovering a cure for cancer.

Carlos Duart and Tina Vidal-Duart have been in and around healthcare for much of their careers and they honestly never thought they would play a significant role in making great strides towards such a lofty goal as “finding a cure” for cancer. However, when they heard about the seminal research and work being done by Dr. Diana Azzam at First Ascent Biomedical, they felt strongly that they could play a pivotal role in the fight against cancer. And while certainly not a “cure,” the work of Dr. Azzam and her team has shown incredible success in helping so many battling this disease.

For that reason, Carlos and Tina decided to lean in and make a significant investment – millions of dollars – to help First Ascent scale this new technology with the hope of bringing it into the healthcare mainstream for cancer patients, treating thousands of patients instead of just dozens. The team at First Ascent Biomedical, led by Jim Foote serving as CEO, has taken technology by Dr. Diana Azzam combined with an advanced AI platform developed by Dr. Noah Berlow to help cancer patients who have exhausted other viable treatment options.

Photo Credit: The Duarts

This new platform can analyze cancer quickly and, using highly sophisticated data processing tools, can create a treatment protocol faster and more effectively than those currently in use, providing oncologists with a plan of care shown effective against the patient’s particular cancer in around 7 days. This platform will dramatically improve positive outcomes for cancer patients by analyzing the exact cellular makeup of someone’s cancer and deploying new smart technologies for the most effective treatment.

As recently published in the well-respected journal Nature Medicine, the platform’s results showed that when this technology guided treatment decisions, patient outcomes were significantly improved, 83% more effective, than those treated with the standard of care or a doctor’s choice. This vision and the early successes, as noted in the published research, are why both Carlos and Tina decided to get involved and make a significant investment, helping scale make this technology and treatment option realistic for all those who need it. While they haven’t yet found the “cure” (so to speak), they are working with a platform that can help as many cancer treatment centers and patients as possible.

For them, this investment and engagement is not just a business decision—it’s a commitment to improving outcomes for cancer patients everywhere and realizing that dream for millions of those who suffer from this insidious disease. Their focus in the healthcare space has been and continues to be to improve patient outcomes overall, and First Ascent is just another avenue toward that progress.

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