ONEIDA NATION, Wis. and PALO ALTO, Calif., June 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Indigenous Pact, a leader in creating health equity for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and DELFI Diagnostics, Inc., a developer of accessible blood-based tests that deliver a new way to enhance cancer detection, today announced a partnership to utilize DELFI's FirstLook Lung to increase lung cancer screening and early detection in Tribal communities throughout the State of Washington.
The Biden Cancer Moonshot recently highlighted the Indigenous Pact and DELFI Diagnostics collaboration as an innovation in expanding accessibility to lung cancer screening. DELFI's work with the Indigenous Pact will emphasize incorporating cultural practices and promoting inclusivity for lung cancer screening. Efforts will initially begin with Tribes in the Pacific Northwest, to extend the program to other Tribal Nations.
"Cancer is the second highest health and mortality disparity among the AI/AN populations. This test is a great first step to helping identify risk in rural communities where we lack access to imaging and cancer-related diagnostics. We are so excited to be partnering with DELFI - a truly forward-thinking group that represents the best of future screening tools, not just for rural, hard-to-reach populations but for the entire country," said Kurt Brenkus, Founder and CEO of Indigenous Pact.
"We are thrilled to be able to contribute to the important work of Indigenous Pact and its partners. FirstLook Lung is the result of DELFI's Build with and for All values – an accessible, high-performing test that can improve uptake of lung screening for the people who stand to benefit the most," said Jenn Buechel, President and COO of DELFI.
The Indigenous community has limited access to lung cancer screening, which often leads to late-stage diagnosis and higher mortality rates. Indigenous Pact is dedicated to providing healthcare that meets the community's needs while respecting cultural practices and promoting inclusivity for those who are often overlooked. The collaboration to offer lung cancer screening with FirstLook's blood-based test will initiate in Washington and expand across Tribal Nations.
"We developed FirstLook Lung, which has high sensitivity to aid lung cancer detection across all stages and types of disease, to help close lung cancer screening gaps for all at-risk communities. Indigenous Pact has been an incredible partner in sharing this mission," said Peter Bach, Chief Medical Officer for DELFI.
On June 12-14, in San Diego, Indigenous Pact will host its inaugural Regional Tribal Summit. This summit will bring together Tribal leaders to discuss their communities' needs and how best to harness opportunities and address challenges. DELFI will participate in the event to further its understanding of how new technologies like the FirstLook Lung test can aid leaders in their goals to improve healthcare delivery across Indian Country.
About Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death globally and in the United States where it accounts for 25 percent of all cancer deaths – just as many deaths as the other four cancers for which screening is recommended combined (colon, prostate, breast, and cervical cancer). Screening rates for those other cancers are in the 60 to 70 percent range, but lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scans is received by only approximately six percent of screen-eligible adults in the U.S. annually. This means that 14.1 million Americans who should be getting screened every year for lung cancer are not doing so. Specific to the American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) populations, AI/AN males and females traditionally have higher lung cancer incidence rates than non-Hispanic white males and females. Rates are highest in the Northern Plains, Alaska, Southern Plains, and Pacific Coast regions. According to the 2021 USPSTF lung cancer screening guidelines, individuals eligible for screening include those 50 to 80 years of age, and who currently smoke or have quit within the last 15 years and have a 20-pack year or more smoking history. Detecting cancer early can improve outcomes. The low rate of lung screening is an important reason why the disease's five-year survival rate in the U.S. is only 23 percent.
About Indigenous PACT
Indigenous Pact delivers a new healthcare model by connecting American Indian/Alaska Native health systems with local and national systems so that community members achieve optimal well-being. They help facilitate the infrastructure needed for continuity of care and for measurably improving the health of Indigenous Peoples. The Indigenous Pact approach to healthcare starts at home -- building trusted relationships and guiding members of Tribal communities to access the care they need, when and where they need it. Visit us at https://indigenouspact.com/
About DELFI Diagnostics
DELFI Diagnostics is developing next-generation, blood-based tests that are accurate, accessible, and deliver a new way to help detect cancer. DELFI tests are built to solve the highest-burden population health issues, including in historically underserved demographics, and have the potential to save lives on a global scale. FirstLook Lung, for individuals eligible for lung cancer screening, is our first laboratory-developed screening test and requires a simple blood draw that can be incorporated with routine blood work. The test is based on fragmentomics, the discovery that cancer cells are more chaotic than normal cells and, when they die, leave behind tell-tale patterns and characteristics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments in the blood. The DELFI platform applies advanced machine-learning technology to whole-genome sequencing data to assess individuals' cfDNA fragments against populations with and without cancer. FirstLook Lung uses these millions of data points to reliably identify individuals who may have cancer detected through low-dose CT, including early-stage disease, with a negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. This test has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. To learn more about the FirstLook Lung test, visit www.delfidiagnostics.com or www.firstlooktest.com.
SOURCE DELFI Diagnostics
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