Matching the Right Therapy to the Right Child with a Rare Cancer

When Jim Foote lost his son, Trey, to osteosarcoma, it exposed the limits of one-size-fits-all cancer protocols. He co-founded First Ascent Biomedical to apply functional precision medicine to rare and pediatric cancers. First Ascent uses this approach to transform care for children with rare and relapsed cancers by moving beyond protocols built on averages to decisions grounded in each child’s tumor biology. Foote, CEO of First Ascent, discusses how combining genomics, functional assays, and AI offers a realistic path to better outcomes, fewer lifelong toxicities, and more rational use of existing anti-cancer drugs that are not yet used optimally for individual children.