New, peer-reviewed research utilizing NantOmics technology, which powers NantHealth’s (NASDAQ: NH) GPS Cancer ® is giving scientists fresh insights into the driving mechanisms behind a form of rare skin cancer as well as therapies to treat patients.

Scientists from NantOmics as well as the University of California San Francisco and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia published that chronic inflammation caused by a rare, inherited childhood skin disorder known as recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) can lead to cancer.

The research was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

NantOmics, LLC, is a leader in molecular analysis and a member of the NantWorks, LLC ecosystem of families.

The research also found that inflammation from chronic skin injury can trigger DNA mutations and cancer in much the same way as extended exposure to the sun. The research also found that skin cancers linked to RDEB may be genetically more similar to head and neck cancers.

“This research adds more evidence to the idea that molecular profiling modernizes our view of cancer and underscores our need for new approaches to developing therapies,” said Shahrooz Rabizadeh, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer for NantOmics. “The evidence continues to pile up in favor of the persistent evolution of immuno-oncology therapies beyond checkpoint inhibitors to meet the demands of cancer’s varied landscape of molecular profiles.”

The study focused on cells of children with RDEB, a condition that makes skin extremely fragile and prone to blistering and soars. Besides pain and discomfort of their condition, as well as potential scarring, patients often develop an aggressive form of skin cancer.

About NantOmics:

NantOmics, a member of the NantWorks ecosystem of companies, uses the technology that drives NantHealth’s GPS Cancer platform to deliver molecular analysis capabilities with the intent of providing actionable intelligence and molecularly driven decision support for cancer patients and their providers at the point of care. NantOmics is the first molecular analysis company to pioneer an integrated approach to unearthing the genomic and proteomic variances that initiate and drive cancer, by analyzing both normal and tumor cells from the same patient and following identified variances through from DNA to RNA to protein to drug. NantOmics has a highly scalable cloud-based infrastructure capable of storing and processing thousands of genomes a day, computing genomic variances in near real-time, and correlating proteomic pathway analysis with quantitative multi-plexed protein expression analysis from the same micro-dissected tumor sample used for genomic analysis. For more information please follow Dr. Soon-Shiong on Twitter @DrPatSoonShiong.

About GPS Cancer™

GPS Cancer™ is a unique, comprehensive test available through NantHealth. GPS Cancer integrates tumor/normal DNA and RNA sequencing, with enhanced expression analysis and bioinformatics of complex biologic pathway systems, including the immune system which provides oncologists with a comprehensive molecular profile of a patient’s cancer to inform personalized treatment strategies. GPS Cancer testing is conducted in CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratories. For more information, visit www.gpscancer.com.