Color Genomics Partners With University Of California Health System In Landmark Athena WISDOM Study

BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--We are excited to announce that Color has been selected as the genomics partner for the Athena WISDOM Study, a $14.1 million-funded University of California (UC) Health system-wide program in collaboration with Salesforce and Blue Shield of California. The WISDOM Study was selected by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for its potential to impact patient outcomes and significantly improve women’s health. Led by Dr. Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at UCSF and supported by Salesforce, Blue Shield of California and PCORI, the study will investigate whether a personalized approach to breast cancer screening based on risk profile is more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach to breast screening.

“The Color Test provides us with the comprehensive genetic testing we need to be able to inform women about their risk. We are excited to partner with Color Genomics on this critical study.”

The WISDOM Study will include approximately 100,000 women over 5 years, and will be coordinated across the 5 UC medical centers - UCSF, UCLA, UCSD, UCSC, UC Davis, as well as Sanford Health in the Midwest region. Based on the results of the Color Test and other risk indicators, including family and medical history and breast density, women in one arm of the study will be offered a personalized breast cancer screening plan (e.g. mammography and other imaging techniques) that is tailored to their risk profile. You can read more about the Athena WISDOM study and its potential impact to patients, screening, and cost savings to the healthcare system here.

"Color's test allows us to incorporate genetic testing as part of a personalized screening strategy. We can include the genetic testing, at scale, for little more than the cost of a mammogram, and do so in a high quality way," Dr. Esserman explains. “The WISDOM study will enroll 100,000 women and divide them into an annual screening cohort or a personalized screening cohort -- the latter of which will include the Color Test. We encourage women to join this landmark study to help us figure out how to best approach breast cancer screening, and most importantly, how they can improve it through WISDOM.”

This is the first time that a personalized breast cancer screening study of this magnitude that includes genetic testing has been pursued. Until the launch of Color Genomics in April, the cost of genetic testing was prohibitively expensive, costing up to $4,000. With Color having brought the cost of clinical-grade genetic testing down to $249 by marrying the traditional laboratory with modern software, sequencing tens of thousands of women has suddenly become possible.

“Color was selected due to the high quality of its results in the validation studies we ran at UCSF to assess their technology on previously characterized patient samples,” added Laura van ’t Veer, Ph.D., site lead for WISDOM at UCSF. “The Color Test provides us with the comprehensive genetic testing we need to be able to inform women about their risk. We are excited to partner with Color Genomics on this critical study.”

More information about the Athena WISDOM Study can be found here.