The numbers are in! The Max Foundation is thrilled to announce that Spot On CML, our diagnostic collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has provided free testing to 371 patients across 15 countries in its inaugural year.
These tests are critically important because a confirmed diagnosis is required for a patient to begin receiving free treatment through our donation programs – and access to treatment is access to life.
We extend our deepest thanks to the dedicated team at Fred Hutch and the hundreds of physicians and nurses around the world who work tirelessly to support their patients. Thanks to your efforts, we not only met but exceeded our initial goal – testing one new patient per day for an entire year.
Here’s how the patient numbers break down by country:
About Spot On CML
Launched in 2017, Spot On CML is a groundbreaking collaboration between The Max Foundation and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) to increase access to testing for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients in under-resourced countries. The initiative utilizes a special process developed by Fred Hutch researcher and The Max Foundation board member Dr. Jerry Radich. In it, paper test cards are spotted with dried blood samples and mailed to Fred Hutch from all over the world, where researchers perform testing on the samples free-of-charge.
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
Today, Spot On CML is active in 19 countries and, on June 29th, 17 patients were chosen by the treating physicians at Philippine General Hospital to take part in the program. While CML testing is available in the Philippines, it’s prohibitively expensive – placing critical diagnostic information out of reach for many patients.
The Max Foundation is thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael J. Wagner to our Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) Medical Advisory Board. Since we met Dr. Wagner in early 2020 at a GIST patient meeting in Seattle, he has provided our program with invaluable training and support. “Dr. Wagner has gone above and beyond in advising our….
Earlier this month, The Max Foundation celebrated the delivery of 110 BCR-ABL molecular tests to Mercy Medical Center Cambodia. The delivery was the first of its kind for Max, made possible through our 2018 Diagnostics Solidarity Fund. Two more deliveries – one to Kyrgyzstan and one to Bolivia – are in process now, and we’re hopeful there will be many more to come.
