Oxford University and GE Healthcare Announce Cancer Research Collaboration; Study May Lead to Earlier Detection and Targeted Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

GE Healthcare, a division of the General ElectricCompany (NYSE:GE), announced today that it is to join forces withOxford University to study the pathology of colorectal cancer, withthe aim of achieving earlier diagnosis and treatment of the disease.The two-year collaboration is the first ever to focus on developing acomprehensive disease management program which will focus on improvedstaging of the disease using both imaging and genomic pathology,targeted therapy selection and efficacy assessment, andoverall-treatment monitoring. A major goal will be to create acoherent picture of a patient's disease and determine the mosteffective treatment.

The study could act as a model for changing and improving the waya variety of cancers and other diseases are treated. GE Healthcarewill contribute expertise in genomic and information technologies.Oxford University will provide clinical data and medical and researchexpertise.

The project aims to shift the colorectal cancer model from latedisease - discovering diseases late when intervention is costly andless effective - to early health - predicting disease based on geneticanalysis and selecting treatment customized to the individual. GEHealthcare and Oxford will study technology to aid in four majorstages of disease identification and treatment - prediction,screening, diagnosis and treatment.

"The ultimate goal of the collaboration between GE Healthcare andOxford University is to redefine the detection, diagnosis andtreatment timeline of colorectal cancer," said Dr. Bill Clarke,Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Medical Officer, GEHealthcare. "Better outcomes are dependent on earlier diagnosisfollowed by treatment tailored to the individual patient. This is aholistic and patient-focused approach - one we believe can have ameaningful and positive impact on people suffering from thislife-threatening disease."

"Medicine today uses empirical data to determine disease; oftentimes, diseases are detected late - in the last 10 percent of theircycle - when treatment is costly and limited," said John Bell, RegiusProfessor of Medicine at Oxford. "This means a 90 percent window ofopportunity to see and treat the disease has been missed. By embracingpreventative screening methods, patients increase their chances ofsurvival; discovering a disease in its early stages is vital so thatintervention is simple and more treatment options are available. Earlydetection and targeted therapy will result in improved, more effectivecare for the patient."

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the Westernworld, where the annual incidence in Western Europe and America is370,000; however, with regular screenings and early action, colorectalcancer is 90 percent curable (National Institute of Health).

Once colorectal cancer has been diagnosed, the correct treatmentneeds to be selected. Currently, 60 percent of colorectal cancerpatients receive chemotherapy to treat their disease; however, thisform of treatment only benefits a few percent of the population, whilecarrying with it high risks of toxicity, thus demonstrating a need tobetter define the patient selection criteria, also according to theNIH.

Today's reliance on symptom-based observation to describe and flagcolorectal cancer would be aided by a better knowledge of the diseaseand the patient through genetic analysis, according to Clarke.

"Understanding how and where disease begins provides theopportunity of better predicting that disease, selecting treatmentthat is most compatible with the individual, and starting thattreatment at the earliest possible moment as to increase the chancesof survival," said Clarke.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies thatare shaping a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise inmedical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics,patient monitoring and life support systems, disease research, drugdiscovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helpingphysicians detect disease earlier and tailor personalized treatmentsfor their patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of products andservices that are improving productivity in healthcare and enhancingpatient care by enabling healthcare providers to better diagnose andtreat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and otherconditions.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare, is a USD 15billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Worldwide, GEHealthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to servinghealthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our websiteat www.gehealthcare.com.

About Oxford

As the oldest English-speaking University in the world, theUniversity of Oxford can lay claim to nine centuries of continuousexistence. The University of Oxford is internationally renowned forthe quality and diversity of its research, with over 3000 academicstaff and 3000 postgraduate students working on research. TheUniversity's position as a centre of excellence is enhanced by theongoing development of interdisciplinary research centres, andcollaboration with international academic and industrial partners.