RANCHO SANTA FE — No two cancers are alike. This theory served as the driving force behind the creation of CureMatch, a software platform, which ranks the combination of cancer drugs based on the molecular profile of a patient’s tumor.
The data helps oncologists by offering more matched combination therapies for patients.
Co-founder and CEO of CureMatch, Blaise Barrelet of Rancho Santa Fe, is also a cancer survivor and recently announced that the company is giving back by offering its services free to children with cancer.
CureMatch is headquartered in San Diego and treatment reports cost $1,000.
“When I had cancer, I knew how to handle it,” said Barrelet, who has four children under the age of 15. “But when you have a child that has cancer, the whole family has cancer — it puts a lot of strain on the entire family. The kids are the ones who have the most life to lose.”
Barrelet went on to say how hard their company is working to get the word out about the importance the DNA sequencing following a tumor biopsy. From this, a genetic analysis given to CureMatch from a third-party provider will trigger the creation of data-driven drug combination therapies.
While the numbers continue to grow, there are more than 300 FDA drugs for cancer treatments and more than 4 million combination therapy possibilities. CureMatch data can help offer oncologists more information, Barrelet said.
According to Barrelet, CureMatch is currently in discussions with Rady Children’s Hospital about offering their treatment report services for free.
“Rady’s is great, and they do their genetic sequencing since they have their own machines,” said Barrelet, noting that the turnaround time for the sequencing is fast.
While Barrelet wants CureMatch to help people of all ages, he has an extraordinary passion for helping the youth.
With an eye to the future, Barrelet wants to make CureMatch available to everyone by offering lower costs.
“We want to make CureMatch the new option for cancer treatment. And everyone who works here feels the same,” he said. “Everybody in this company knows they are doing something very, very valuable.”
