Walgreens has entered a multi-year partnership with Freenome to advance the clinical trials of the latter’s blood-based tests for early cancer detection.

Walgreens will work with technology provider Curebase to initially enrol patients across diverse populations for Freenome’s Sanderson Study.

The study is designed to assess blood-based early detection tests for several cancers. It will enrol roughly 8,000 participants via its clinical study partner network, which includes Walgreens.

Walgreens chief clinical trials officer Ramita Tandon said: “Through our nationwide presence and trusted pharmacists, we can reach and engage previously underserved patient populations for clinical trials.”

Walgreens will use Curebase’s platform to deliver targeted outreach to eligible participants and caregivers of all backgrounds through email, text or in-person consultation at the pharmacy.

Eligible patients will be recruited in the study upon completion of the pre-screen process.

Later, healthcare providers from Walgreens will conduct a single blood draw at one of the company's trial sites.  They will also follow up with patients through telehealth one year after their participation.

Furthermore, both entities will build population health software and risk-prediction models to address existing care gaps and identify people who can benefit from standard-of-care cancer detection testing.

Real-world data from Walgreens through the collaboration will help develop new products and services in Freenome’s multi-cancer detection research, including the blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer. 

Freenome chief medical officer Lance Baldo said: “With community reach, study conduct capabilities, national presence and real-world data generation resources, Walgreens is a natural partner to help deliver on that goal.”