The fight against cancer is never-ending battle and technology has become a key component if victory is to be won. BRCA Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to fund research for the prevention of “BRCA cancers,” or cancers believed to be caused by “broken” BRCA genes, got a most needed assistance from cloud solutions company Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit with the BRCA registry program.
The cloud-based solutions provider and the cancer foundation has teamed up to launch a BRCA registry project to help the BRCA Foundation gather information relevant to its mission and organizational vision. A four-person team from NetSuite, together with the BRCA Foundation, created customizations in NetSuite to encourage participants to sign up for the program and ultimately pass voluntary contact and demographic data from a genomics testing partner to the BRCA Foundation, using the NetSuite SuiteCloud development platform. This data will be used to provide individuals with news and information about BRCA cancers, and allow them to connect with potential studies in which they may want to participate.
Established in 2016 by NetSuite Co-founder and NetSuite Global Business Unit Executive Vice President of Development, Evan Goldberg, the BRCA Foundation was created to accelerate research and foster collaboration to prevent and cure BRCA cancers. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA. For people who have a mutation in those genes, DNA damage may not repair properly and are more likely to develop additional alterations that can lead to cancer. A nonprofit and a NetSuite customer, BRCA applied for pro bono services from Oracle NetSuite Social Impact to help it establish a registry to gather and share data to provide researchers with potential participants they might use to conduct studies that will lead to better treatment and preventative options.
“NetSuite has been incredibly helpful and supportive of our mission every step of the way,” said Gail Fisher, Deputy Director of the BRCA. “It’s amazing what talented people can do with such a flexible platform. The registry is going to go a long way in the fight against cancer and have a huge impact on people with BRCA.”
As a result of the project, the BRCA Foundation now has a button on its website allowing volunteers to sign up for a genetic cancer screening test from its genomic testing partner. If volunteers choose, they can provide the BRCA Foundation with contact and demographic data to be maintained securely within NetSuite. That data can then be used in the fight against cancer, for example by enrolling participants in clinical trials if they wish.
“This project was so gratifying to be a part of,” said Jerome Wi, Solution Consulting Manager at NetSuite and Project Manager for Suite Pro Bono. “I got to lend my development skills to support a project that will ultimately help to fight against cancer, all while using the SuiteCloud development platform.”
