NorthShore Launches System-Wide Genomics Program to Improve Primary and Specialty Care

The Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem is partnering with Sema4, a patient-centered health intelligence company, on launching a system-wide data-driven genomics program that will leverage predictive analytics to help clinicians and patients prevent, detect, and treat diseases at an early stage, when they are most treatable, officials say.

As part of the program, NorthShore clinicians and patients will have access to Sema4’s genomic solutions for hereditary cancer, cardiovascular diseases, pharmacogenomics, and rare diseases.

As company leaders explain, by combining clinical information with genomic analysis, Sema4’s technology platform is designed to structure and evaluate data sets to draw insights on how genetic variants will impact patients’ chances of developing disease and to determine the most appropriate treatment options, aiming to help their doctors administer more personalized, holistic care plans.

NorthShore will have the opportunity to benefit from disease network models developed by Sema4. For example, disease models for cancers will provide more comprehensive views of cancer patients, their tumor progression, and how best to diagnose or treat them, officials offered.

Amidst the pandemic, as evidence reflects people are delaying preventative care, these more personalized genomic insights are particularly relevant in helping patients and physicians make informed decisions about prioritizing care, the companies’ leaders contend.

“Unlocking the power of genomics in patient care requires us to make information available in a way that clinicians and patients can easily act upon over time,” Peter Hulick, M.D., director of the Mark R. Neaman Center for Personalized Medicine at NorthShore, said in a statement. “The partnership between NorthShore and Sema4 will allow us to get even better at delivering on the promise of genomic insights to prevent, detect, and manage diseases through one of the largest and most comprehensive personalized medicine programs in the country.”

“By narrowing the significant gap between available biomedical data and health and disease information, we are enabling NorthShore clinicians to make real-time use of the latest insights that allow for highly informed decisions at the point-of-care and improved health outcomes,” said Eric Schadt, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Sema4. “NorthShore has done what few health systems in the country have – brought the potential of genomics from the research labs to the front lines of care. Through the implementation of Sema4's innovative health intelligence platform in a clinical-care setting, we are together advancing industry standards.”

In addition to guiding clinicians, company leaders believe the program makes it easier for NorthShore patients to understand the implications of genomic findings. “Novel digital tools and resources will uncover personalized insights that shape the care of multiple conditions throughout the lifetimes of patients. Patients also have an opportunity to consent to share de-identified data to improve research programs focused on expanding the understanding of genomic-guided care,” they assert.

The strategic alliance between NorthShore and Sema4 will significantly expand on NorthShore’s existing clinical genomics offerings, which were already the largest in routine primary care in the U.S, according to officials. Indeed, in 2019, NorthShore and genomics technology company Color announced a collaboration on an initiative to deliver the power of genomics to routine primary care at population scale. Known as "DNA10K," that effort set out to engage more than 10,000 patients and be the largest known primary care-based genomics program in the U.S., officials said at the time.

A year after that initial announcement, the companies said they completed what they called the largest U.S. genomics program to date. The partnership then expanded in 2020 to 30 additional clinics within the NorthShore system, Swedish Hospital, which is part of NorthShore, while integrating more sophisticated information into clinical care including predictive polygenic risk scores for type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Now, more than 1,000 physicians and approximately 300,000 NorthShore patients will have access to Sema4’s offerings, according to officials.

“Precision medicine represents the next major transformation in healthcare, allowing us to predict and prevent disease, to identify the right treatment at the right time, and to empower patients and clinicians to make better choices about health,” said J.P. Gallagher, president and CEO of NorthShore.