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Dr. Olivier Elemento, a renowned computational biologist and leader in the field of computational genomics and biomedicine, has been named director of the Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Elemento will also lead joint precision medicine efforts at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He succeeds Dr. Mark Rubin, the founding director of the Englander Institute.
Dr. Elemento most recently served as director of the computational biology group, which utilizes data analytics and artificial intelligence for the analysis and interpretation of cancer genomes, identification of mutations that drive disease in each patient, optimization of treatment recommendations and reporting results to clinicians. In his new role, Dr. Elemento will focus on expanding the research efforts of the institute’s investigators and applying the precision medicine methodology they pioneered in cancer and to other areas of research including cardiovascular disease, lung disease, diabetes and neurological disease.
Since its inception in 2015, Drs. Rubin and Elemento have led the Englander Institute’s efforts in developing the first New York State-approved whole exome sequencing test for oncology, which scans 21,000 genes in both healthy and malignant cells to detect genetic mutations that drive cancer. The data from this test, called EXaCT-1, is then used to search for new treatment options and clinical trials that may fight the patient’s disease. To strengthen precision medicine’s clinical applications and impact, the institute, under Dr. Elemento’s direction, will work to produce the next generation of genomic sequencing tests. This process is already underway with the development of EXaCT-2, which will improve upon the original iteration by increasing its capabilities to detect rarer mutations in patients.
The institute will also increasingly move toward using whole-genome sequencing, which enables scientists to identify all of the mutations in a patient, including those outside of genes involved in switching genes on and off that are emerging as increasingly relevant in a host of diseases. In addition, the group will work on reducing the time the exome sequencing procedure takes – from testing to treatment. The research team at the Englander Institute, aims to develop a robust database of genomic information that can be analyzed and shared, with the fundamental goal of building a broad network that would provide researchers and clinicians across multiple institutions access to expanded sample sizes and information about cancer treatment options for their patients. Furthermore, the institute will expand its use of 3D models of diseased cells, to screen hundreds of drugs for their ability to treat illness. Englander scientists and clinicians aim to eventually integrate this technology into routine patient care.
Dr. Elemento will emphasize collaboration, ensuring that the institute can provide genomics support to a range of clinical programs at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, such as the Weill Cornell Leukemia Program and the Weill Cornell Breast Center, as well as Weill Cornell research hubs including the Cardiovascular Research Institute and the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health.
This is an excerpt, original article appears here.
