Baptist Health South Florida and The START Center for Cancer Research Announce Strategic Partnership to Expand Patient Access to Early-Phase Cancer Trials

SAN ANTONIO — Baptist Health South Florida and The START Center for Cancer Research, the largest global network of fully dedicated, early-phase oncology clinical trial sites, today announced plans to form a strategic collaboration. A new START early-phase clinical trial site will be established in collaboration with Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, giving patients across South Florida direct access to the most advanced investigational cancer therapies in the world. South Florida represents a significant and growing need for expanded access to early-phase oncology clinical trials. With more than 130,000 new cancer cases diagnosed annually across Florida, patients in the region have historically had limited local access to early-phase studies, often requiring travel outside their communities to participate. This partnership is designed to bring those opportunities closer to where patients live and receive care. The partnership brings together START's expertise conducting early-phase, oncology trials and Baptist Health's network of nationally recognized cancer specialists, anchored by Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute and Lynn Cancer Institute. Patients across Baptist Health's system, as well as patients across the region will have access to investigational therapies close to home. "START's mission is to bring the hope of early-phase clinical trials to every community." said Nick Slack, MBE, Chairman and CEO of START. "South Florida is home to millions of people who deserve access to the best cancer research in the world. Most cancer patients are treated in community settings and START exists to make sure those patients have access to early-phase clinical trial options. Baptist Health brings not only the scale and trust of its community, but also a vibrant culture of research that makes this partnership especially powerful. Together, we are expanding access to novel therapies and advancing our mission of Hope Through Access.""Partnering with START gives patients and physicians access to first-in-class oncology trials that would otherwise require traveling hundreds of miles. For a community as large and diverse as ours, that matters enormously,” said Leonard Kalman, M.D., acting system chief executive of Baptist Health Cancer Care and acting executive medical director of Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. “We look forward to what we will accomplish together for patients across south Florida."Baptist Health is the region's largest not-for-profit health care organization, with 12 hospitals, more than 29,000 employees and more than 200 outpatient facilities across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties. START operates the largest global network of early-phase clinical trial sites, with more than 40 world-class Principal Investigators across 15 locations in the United States and Europe. With nearly 1,000 active studies, START provides access to one of the most extensive portfolios of industry-sponsored early-phase cancer trials worldwide. The new Baptist Health site will be fully integrated into the START network, with access to its global trial portfolio from day one.