Celebrating PCC Wayfinders: driving impact to advance precision oncology
Every successful project has someone who relies on their inner strategic compass to deliver successful outcomes.
At the heart of the Precision Cancer Consortium (PCC) is our dedicated group of members and advocates—our Wayfinders—who chart the course for advancements in precision oncology. Their expertise, commitment, and collaboration drive the success of PCC’s initiatives, ensuring impactful delivery of projects that improve patient outcomes.
Through the PCC Wayfinder Campaign, we celebrate these trailblazers, recognizing their invaluable contributions in shaping the future of precision cancer care. By championing new solutions, fostering partnerships, and navigating complex challenges, they illuminate the path forward—turning vision into action, and progress into lasting impact.
PCC Wayfinder winners 2025
Liquid biopsy (LBx) project
Backed by in-depth market research across the USA, UK, and EU, our six dedicated Wayfinders played a key role in shaping strategies and building partnerships to support local implementation of LBx technologies. Their work helped elevate the visibility of the PCC’s mission to expand access to LBx on a global scale.
In 2024, the PCC launched a major global initiative to accelerate access to LBx that enables precision cancer treatment when tissue samples are unavailable or insufficient.
To better understand the landscape, PCC partnered with DeciBio to conduct a comprehensive study across key markets, including the USA and Europe. Through conducting a series of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders across the patient journey, the project uncovered critical barriers and opportunities shaping the future of LBx adoption.
This work was made possible by our dedicated group of Wayfinders who are helping to shape a future where every patient can receive the right treatment at the right time.
Findings from the study were shared during a workshop at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, where PCC and DeciBio convened with global clinical experts to validate, refine, and prioritize the strategies identified. Together, they’re charting a path toward tangible, tactical solutions that harness PCC’s unique strengths and collaborative power.
As this initiative moves into its next phase, the PCC remains committed to delivering sustainable impact—working with partners to bring precision cancer care to more patients.
“It’s been a privilege to collaborate with the talented and passionate PCC team members from leading pharmaceutical companies, all working toward the shared goal of increasing the adoption of LBx to improve patient care.”
“It’s been a pleasure to be a part of the PCC and the Liquid Biopsy Access team. By expanding access to liquid biopsy testing, we’re advancing personalized cancer care and bringing us closer to the PCC vision of making comprehensive genomic profiling the new normal.”
“As a firm whose mission it is to accelerate innovation in precision medicine, our work with the PCC on devising strategies to expand access to liquid biopsies has been a perfect partnership. We are honored to work with the passionate team of leaders at the PCC and share their commitment to driving real-world impact in precision oncology globally.”
“It is a pleasure to highlight the PCC's efforts at our events. With our shared goal and vision of expanding access to comprehensive genomic profiling globally, our collaboration is vital in our efforts to help those affected by this terrible disease. We are making progress; however, there is still a lot more to do!”
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our work with the PCC on addressing barriers to liquid biopsy testing. Ensuring equitable and broad access to the latest advancements in diagnostic technologies is critical to unlocking the full potential of precision medicine and improving outcomes for all patients.”
Access to comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) project
Launched in Spain, the first phase of this initiative was led by our Wayfinders, who conducted a comprehensive analysis of the key barriers and enablers to CGP.
At the heart of the mission of the PCC is a commitment to ensure that every patient—regardless of location or background—can benefit from precision medicine. In 2024, the PCC launched an initiative to expand the implementation of CGP for patients with solid tumors, starting at the time of diagnosis.
Piloting in Spain, this groundbreaking effort was led by our Wayfinders who have helped to shape the first phase of the project. Their work provided a deep analysis of the barriers and enablers impacting CGP access, creating a foundation for real-world change.
These insights will inform strategic action not only in Spain but in health systems across the globe. The first pilot will focus on accelerating the Galician Precision Oncology Plan in 2025, with additional tools and frameworks developed to support national precision medicine strategies in other countries.
Through this initiative, our Wayfinders are clearing a path to a future where every patient receives the right test and the right treatment from day one. Their vision and leadership are helping to turn precision medicine from promise into practice—delivering sustainable, equitable impact for patients with cancer everywhere.
“I’m honored to receive this recognition and to continue to support the goal of the PCC to drive global access to comprehensive genomic profiling for all patients with cancer.”
“It’s an honor to serve on the PCC Market Access team. The value of multiple pharmaceutical companies combining their best minds, expertise, and resources cannot be understated.”
"I am deeply honored to be nominated for this award. My longstanding passion is expanding access to precision medicine to every patient possible, and it has been a real pleasure to collaborate with an organization so dedicated to action and achieving tangible results."
Genomic testing cost calculator
We’re proud to spotlight the Wayfinders driving the latest evolution of our genomic testing cost calculator—a dynamic tool that helps visualize cost differences between NGS, other multiplex diagnostics, and traditional single-gene testing (SGT) across the EU.
To learn more and access the latest advancements of our genomic testing cost calculator, click here.
In partnership with IQVIA, the PCC introduced the latest advancement of our genomic testing cost calculator in April 2025—a dynamic tool designed to compare the cost implications of NGS, multiplex diagnostics, and sequential SGT in the EU.
The latest iteration of the calculator covers a broader set of biomarkers aligned with European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2024 guidelines and includes a US market perspective for greater global relevance.
This milestone reflects the collective expertise and vision of our dedicated Wayfinders whose strategic insight and deep commitment to increasing access to CGP were central to this update.
Their scientific rigor and expertise in NGS technologies made it possible to integrate ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) I and II biomarkers, enhancing the tool’s clinical and economic relevance.
Together, the PCC Wayfinders are shaping smarter, more sustainable access strategies, bringing us closer to a future where precision medicine is the standard of care for all.
“It is an honor to receive this recognition and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to advancing precision medicine, comprehensive genomic profiling, and shaping the future of cancer treatment. This recognition is a testament to the collective efforts of brilliant colleagues and clinicians dedicated to transforming patient care at the PCC. Together, we are making strides toward personalized and effective treatments through cutting-edge genomic insights, committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation and improving patient outcomes worldwide.”
“Testing, identifying, and treating cancer patients as quickly as possible is what brings us together as a PCC community. The genomic testing cost calculator is a great tool that can help us with this mission of getting the right treatment to the right patients in a timely fashion.”
“The genomic testing cost calculator represents a significant advancement, helping to ensure that patients receive the most suitable treatments in a cost-effective and impactful way. It has truly been a privilege to contribute to this meaningful initiative.”
“This recognition reflects the outstanding collaboration between the PCC Board and IQVIA. Together, we have developed the genomic testing cost calculator, a pioneering tool driving the exciting future of precision oncology and advancing comprehensive genomic profiling."
CPG value framework
In 2024, the PCC partnered with the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to introduce a European CGP value framework to support more transparent, objective, and patient-centered resource allocation in cancer care.
A key focus of this initiative was prioritizing NGS and its role in CGP. By aligning with the values and preferences of our stakeholders, the framework aims to elevate evidence-based decision-making where it matters most.
Our Wayfinder, Benjamin Horbach, showed true strategic leadership to help strike the right balance—meeting the needs of patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers alike.
Benjamin Horbach, PCC Member and Global Policy Leader, Roche
“This initiative has driven momentum to unlock the potential of integrated cancer care by addressing key access barriers and demonstrating the value of CGP for informed personalized treatment plans.”
Clinical trial matching
Clinical trial enrollment remains one of the greatest challenges in oncology, with manual screening often limiting access to life-saving treatments. But what if artificial intelligence (AI) could change the game? Selin Kurnaz drove the development of an AI-powered multi-trial matching system to transform how patients are connected to clinical trials.
In 2024, the PCC partnered with Massive Bio on a landmark study leveraging a multi-sponsor pharmaceutical platform. This collaborative research tested Massive Bio’s AI-powered clinical trial matching system, designed to streamline patient–trial alignment using real-world clinical and genomic data.
Manual patient screening for cancer trials is time-consuming—averaging 25 minutes per trial—and often limits patient access to suitable studies. To address this, Massive Bio and PCC deployed an advanced platform that integrates next-generation sequencing (NGS) results with AI, enabling more accurate and efficient trial matching, particularly for targeted therapies.
Massive Bio’s platform harnesses computer vision and natural language processing to extract over 180 structured clinical data points from patient medical records. Optimized with the GPT-4 large language model and fine-tuned for oncology and biomarker-specific use cases, the system matches patients to eligibility criteria across more than 14,000 actively recruiting interventional cancer trials using an AI-driven algorithm.
Key results at a glance:
- Only 1557 of 5707 patients (27%) had accessible NGS data
- The study matched 690 patients to 1254 trials—a 1.82× increase compared with traditional methods
- With full NGS coverage, matches could rise to 2635, reflecting a 2.1× increase
- In lung cancer trials targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, patient matching increased by a remarkable 12.4×
- The system either achieved or exceeded expected matching rates in 80% of trials, cutting an estimated 19,500 hours of manual screening, nearly 100% efficiency
Selin Kurnaz, PCC Partner Advocate and Co-Founder & CEO, Massive Bio
“It has been a wonderful experience to work with the PCC team and study the impact of multi-trial matching and increased NGS testing on oncology patient recruitment. On behalf of Massive Bio, we are grateful for the opportunity and a ‘massive’ thank you for this wonderful recognition.”
PCC communications
Silvia’s strategic vision and dedication have been instrumental in building a strong, focused comms team—helping to raise awareness, amplify our mission and vision, and drive impact across our initiatives.
Now, in the next phase of their project, Silvia is working closely with the Access to CGP team, ensuring that our mission to make precision oncology and access to CGP the new normal continues to gain momentum.
Silvia Grosso, PCC Member and Director of Global Oncology Communications, Bayer
“It is exciting to be part of the PCC; I feel we all have a real commitment and dedication on this journey. Improving prognosis, making treatments more manageable, and adding value to patients is our top priority, and that can be achieved by working together.”
PCC legal support
Paige’s dedicated legal support has ensured that PCC members and partner advocates uphold the latest ethical and legal standards, fostering responsible collaboration in our efforts to advance precision oncology and CGP.
Paige Izquierdo, PCC Legal Support and Associate, Faegre Drinker
“I have been impressed by the strong collaborative nature of the pharma partners that make up PCC. It is exciting to think about what might come next, having seen all that has been achieved since PCC’s inception.”
PCC alumni
Kara O’Brien, Former PCC Member, spearheaded the creation of the PCC Ambassador Program, building a dynamic network to boost awareness and engagement of precision oncology across the diagnostic community.
Yinghui Zhou, Former PCC Member, played a key role alongside Selin Kurnaz, to advance the AI-powered Clinical Trial Matching project. By harnessing real-world clinical and genomic data, they improved trial matching efficiency and expanded patient access to cutting-edge treatments.
Photo montage of some of our Wayfinder Winners that were able to attend the event in Chicago on Friday, May 30, 2025, pictured with PCC Chair Gabriele Allegri
The PCC Wayfinder awards were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on Friday, May 30, 2025.
PCC-191 June 2025
