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Evinova and Quantum Leap Healthcare Partner to Incorporate Real-Time Remote Patient Monitoring into Breast Cancer Platform Trial

Evinova’s Digital Solution Will be Used by Study Sites to Monitor Patients Enrolled in Quantum Leap’s I-SPY 2.2 at Risk of Developing Interstitial Lung Disease

Evinova, a global clinical trial technology company with proven published outcomes for sponsors, sites and patients, announced today an agreement with Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative™ (QLHC) to incorporate Evinova’s remote patient monitoring (RPM) solution into I-SPY 2.2. I-SPY 2.2 is the largest and longest-running ‘platform’ trial that provides a framework to study multiple novel therapeutic treatment arms for women with newly diagnosed, locally advanced breast cancer. Evinova’s RPM module will be used to alert healthcare professionals of early symptoms of interstitial lung disease (ILD), a potential adverse event for one treatment arm in the study.  

“One of the primary goals of I-SPY 2.2 is to get better treatments to patients faster and with fewer side effects. New bispecific antibodies and antibody drug conjugates have the promise of eliminating traditional chemotherapy, but they too are associated with potential serious side effects. One of those complications is ILD, but early identification may be the key to preventing it from becoming a serious complication. Evinova makes it possible for us to monitor people using the drug every day, from the comfort of their home. Using Evinova’s RPM solution in the study will help us, as providers, to identify and intervene early when ILD symptoms initially present. We are studying how this solution can improve the patient experience and minimize toxicity – that is what we all want to achieve,” said Dr. Laura Esserman, founder of the I-SPY trials and QLHC.

Evinova’s RPM solution enables real-time monitoring of patients’ health status and treatment intake between clinical visits and alerts healthcare providers of the potential onset or worsening of symptoms related to a potential toxicity, in this case ILD. With this information, healthcare providers can triage patients in need of further clinical evaluation and intervene promptly based on guidelines, potentially reducing the likelihood of progression to high-grade ILD and dose reduction, hold or interruption of treatment.

“With real-time alerts to both patients and sites, Evinova’s RPM solution for toxicity monitoring enables care teams to review and take proactive actions based on guidelines” said Cristina Duran, President, Evinova. “At Evinova, we’re passionate about accelerating better health outcomes through technology like RPM that enables global life science leaders to overcome critical research challenges and deliver a better clinical trial experience for both sites and patients.”

In addition to pulmonary toxicity monitoring, Evinova has RPM modules for gastrointestinal, stomatitis and oral thrush symptom monitoring, with more in development based on patient need and drug side effect profiles.

About Evinova
Evinova is a global health-tech business, accelerating the delivery of better health outcomes by propelling the life sciences sector forward in digital health, from the inside. Through our application of science-based expertise, evidence-led rigour and human experience-driven insight, our digital solutions are deliberately designed so that everyone can reach better health outcomes together. Evinova is a separate health-tech business within the AstraZeneca Group. Please visit Evinova.com or follow the company on social media @Evinova.

Media Contact:

Heather Bonsiero

Director of Communications and Marketing

Evinova

About Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative

Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative (QLHC) is a 501c(3). It is nonprofit pioneer that designs, implements, and succeeds at building and iterating creative and nimble solutions that drive meaningful results for patients. Our mission is to better serve patients by accelerating and innovating health care through approaches that challenge the status quo of science and care. All our efforts focus on achieving our long-term vision to improve human health for all through personalized medicine by bridging the gap between research and care. QLHC provides operational, financial, and regulatory oversight to I-SPY. For more information, visit https://www.quantumleaphealth.org/.

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Deborah Romer

Deborah’s breast cancer diagnosis in late 2022 catalyzed her interest in breast cancer research and patient advocacy following a complicated diagnosis. She is pleased to be participating as a patient advocate at UCSF, as well as with state, national and international groups, and has channeled her research and health care background in her advocacy work.

Deborah is a member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and attended their Project Lead Science Training program in the summer of 2024, and will complete their Public Policy Institute in 2025. She serves on the Research Committee of the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) and has been a grant reviewer for ASCO and LBCA. She begun working with Dr. Rita Mukhtar at UCSF on lobular breast cancer research and served on a panel for the Annual UCSF Breast Oncology Program Retreat. Deborah joined as a new member of the UCSF I-SPY Patient Advocate Panel in 2025 and serves as a Board member of Breast Cancer Care & Research Fund which links education, research and care to end breast cancer.

Throughout Deborah’s 30 plus year career in health care administration, she has worked to make health care more inclusive, accessible, equitable and personal. She started her health care career at the Stanford School of Medicine and then worked with several hospitals and health systems, including Kaiser Permanente where she worked for 22 years, serving as a medical group administrator and hospital CEO in Northern California, then at the National level as Vice President for Patient and Service Quality and as an Executive for National Quality and Board Governance.

Deborah is passionate about the importance of evidence-based research and multi-specialty team collaboration in solving problems and is committed to advancing breast cancer research, to supporting researchers, clinicians and patients, and to ensuring that the patients’ perspective is integrated into research, clinical trials and care. She has a BA with Highest Honors in Sociology and Research Methods from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. She enjoys opera, jazz and the performing arts, as well as hiking, dancing and traveling, and is excited to be moving back to San Francisco in spring, 2025.

Tracey Heather

Advocate Liaison

As Patient Engagement Lead at Quantum Leap, I manage follow-up data projects for the I-SPY 2 Trial, develop strategies to strengthen patient engagement, and oversee the I-SPY Advocate group. After six successful years raising funds to support Quantum’s mission, I embraced this new role last summer, drawn by the opportunity to make a direct impact on the patients we serve. Each day brings new challenges and insights, and I especially enjoy supporting and collaborating with our inspiring I-SPY Advocates.

Outside of work, I am pursuing a Master of Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit management at SF State. I’m passionate about trail running, skiing, live music, camping, traveling, and collegiate gymnastics—my daughter competes at Oregon State. For the past 5 years, I have volunteered with SF CASA as a mentor to an incredible 18-year-old foster youth whose resilience continually reminds me of life’s true priorities.

Carolyn Clark Beedle

Carolyn Clark Beedle, a 2023 breast cancer survivor, joined the advocate program after successful completion of treatment with the UCSF Breast Oncology Program. Her experience working with a patient advocate during her TNBC treatment led to an understanding that empowering women to advocate for their own health and healthcare will contribute to improved health outcomes and broader access to care. Carolyn began advocating for cancer patients and their families during her treatment, now is a member of the Breast Science Advocacy Core (BSAC) with the UCSF Breast Oncology Program, and currently shares information and research with CFNP associates at La Clinica in the Bay Area to inform and empower their patient population.

Carolyn is continuing her on the ground training as an advocate reviewer with both Quantum Health and BSAC and is enrolled in the Patient Advocacy Training in Health Science course with Stanford Medicine. Her 30+ career in corporate marketing/communications, program development and non-profit leadership augmented by her breast cancer treatment experience serves Carolyn well in representing and communicating the patient voice and perspective.

She received her BA (History/English Lit) and MA (Public History/Research and Record Management) from the University of San Diego, is a proud fifth generation San Franciscan, and active board member with numerous non-profits that support social work and the arts.

Silver Alkhafaji

Silver Alkhafaji is a PhD candidate in the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG) program at UCSF. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Biology from UC Berkeley. Prior to UCSF, she worked in the Clinical Pharmacology Department at Genentech. Silver’s current research focuses on non-invasive liquid biopsies to predict response and side effects of immunotherapies and endocrine therapies in early-stage breast cancer participants in I-SPY 2.

Silver is interested in clinical outcomes research to advance precision medicine and improve cancer patients’ quality of life. She is passionate about health equity, inclusive research, patient advocacy, and women’s health.
Silver volunteers at the Patient and Family Cancer Support Center at UCSF where she assists in patient navigation and connecting patients and their families with resources that improve their healthcare experience while receiving cancer treatments and/or during survivorship. 

Through her DEI work in her PhD program, Silver raises awareness around issues related to social justice and community building through organizing community-centered events. Additionally, she is a member of the Life Sciences Career Advisory Council at Thrive Scholars, where she enjoys supporting college students of color from economically disadvantaged communities in providing the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in high-trajectory careers. 

Silver is a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Alameda Branch where she focuses her efforts on increasing membership of community college women coming from exceptional backgrounds: student parents, low-income, and first-generation college students.

In her free time, she writes poetry and prose on emotional healing, radical acceptance, and patience. Writing has helped her process difficult situations and connect with people on a deeper level.

Jane Mortimer

Jane is a breast cancer survivor and advocate dedicated to positively impacting the lives of women affected by the disease. Diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2012, she participated in the I-SPY 2 trial at UCSF and has been cancer free for more than ten years.

Her advocacy journey began in 2003 at UCSF as a volunteer with the Patient and Family Cancer Support Center and Decision Support Services and she previously managed the Peer Support program at UCSF. Drawing on her experience in marketing and media strategy, she uses her skills to make a meaningful impact by supporting advocacy and research that improves outcomes for women living with breast cancer.

Jan Tomlinson

In March of 2023 , Jan was diagnosed with a large aggressive triple negative breast cancer and informed that her cancer was the” bad girl” of cancer and offered standard chemotherapy for 24 weeks. Devasted by the diagnosis Jan felt like she had a dire prognosis. After seeking several opinions, she opted to join a Clinical Trial program for her treatment. The trial consisted of significantly less chemotherapy, and monitored closely over a 12-week period, The data predicted a complete pathological response , and she then went immediately to surgery. Pathology reports supported that she had a successful outcome reaching PCR meaning the tumor was gone, and no residual cancer was found in the surrounding tissue or lymph nodes. Jan was thrilled when her surgeon advised her of the results. The experience made Jan want to give back and share information that she received when she was at a critical juncture in her diagnosis. She is so passionate about making sure that everyone knows that the standard of care is one treatment option.

As she says, “ clinical trials have to be on the table” Because she achieved PCR, she expects a great outcome. She wants to share her story and encourage other women to strongly consider and participate in clinical trials. Jan is a UCSF Patient Advocate, involved in several programs they lead. Jan also is a BLACC Cab Member. Jan recently was in Washington DC to participate on a panel on Clinical Trials for ISPY at the National Press Club. UCSF will be hosting the RISE Up For Breast Cancer event where Jan will share her experience with clinical trials.

Deborah Collyar

Deb is a connector who founded Patient Advocates in Research (PAIR) “where research meets reality,” bringing ideas and people together for medical advances that offer real results for diverse patients and families.

Her vast experience between the worlds of tech, communication, strategy, management, policy, and equity bridges gaps between patients, scientists, medical providers, payers, governments, and non-profits.

Deb infuses patient engagement into projects, gathers relevant patient input, and encompasses many diseases, programs and policies at grassroots, national and international levels through companies, academia, and governments.

Key patient insights are delivered throughout discovery, development, clinical trials, results reporting, data-sharing, standards, genomics, and into practice.

Her experience spans translational and clinical research, epidemiology, health outcomes, and health delivery research with academia, federal agencies, companies, and patient communities.