To date 342 Oncologists across the US and internationally have ordered and used the PARIS test from different hospital across the US (20 states), UK, France, Italy, Australia, India and Turkey.

The PARIS test is designed to identify the most effective therapy for an individual patient’s tumor, with the goal of improving survival and preserving quality of life. Among approximately 100 mostly stage IV cancer patients with available follow-up, median overall survival was ~15 months for those treated with PARIS-guided therapies compared to ~5 months for patients who did not ultimately receive PARIS-indicated treatments. Responses ranged from several months to multiple years. We have observed exceptional responders (1–6+ years) in roughly one-third of advanced cases in retrospective review, with at least two patients alive beyond 6 years and others pending follow-up. While cures in metastatic disease remain rare, durable control is achievable.

Today, the primary aim is prolonging life with good quality of life and avoiding ineffective therapies. Long-term cures in advanced cancer will likely require rational combinations of targeted therapies with effective immunotherapy or vaccine strategies. Cure First’s long-term vision is to integrate functional drug testing with emerging immune-based approaches. One patient with widely metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with PARIS-guided therapy plus a peptide vaccine remains alive more than six years later—an example of what may become possible as these modalities converge.

The PARIS test evaluates response to FDA-approved oncology drugs, including targeted agents, chemotherapies, and selected combinations. When drugs are approved for a specific cancer type, they are generally reimbursed by insurance. When identified off-label, physicians may request access through insurance appeals or manufacturer programs. Targeted therapies often carry fewer severe toxicities than traditional chemotherapy, which may reduce hospitalization and overall healthcare burden, though access barriers to off-label treatments remain a challenge in precision oncology.

Results are typically available within three weeks, similar to genomic sequencing. However, genomic testing alone yields actionable findings in roughly 15–20% of advanced cancers, whereas functional testing historically identifies at least one sensitive therapy in approximately 80–90% of successfully grown tumor samples.

Genomic testing has transformed oncology, but DNA alterations alone yield actionable findings in approximately 15–20% of advanced cancers. Most tumors are biologically complex, driven not by one or two mutations but by hundreds of genomic and epigenetic alterations interacting dynamically.

The PARIS test approaches precision medicine differently. Rather than predicting response from DNA alone, it directly measures how a patient’s living tumor cells respond to dozens of FDA-approved oncology drugs. Across 46 solid tumor types tested to date—including pancreatic, colon, ovarian, and breast cancers—the PARIS platform has identified at least one sensitive therapy in approximately 80–90% of successfully grown tumor samples. (The platform has not yet been applied to hematologic malignancies such as leukemia.)

Operating a high-complexity CLIA laboratory requires approximately $2–3 million annually to sustain personnel, compliance, software, instrumentation, and employee benefits. The current PARIS test price of $5,000 barely covers direct costs; a modest increase to $7,500 may be necessary for sustainability. Additional services include full DNA sequencing and individualized research analyses to support therapeutic decision-making, which will add to sustainability.

Funding comes from philanthropic donations, test revenues, CLIA service contracts, and pharmaceutical collaborations. All patients consent under IRB-approved protocols allowing excess material to contribute to research and data generation.

Cure First’s immediate objective is to fully reestablish clinical operations following the transition from Tempus, including restoration of software systems and instrumentation validation. Equally critical is securing steady sample flow through physician and patient outreach. Parallel efforts focus on grants, foundation partnerships, and strategic collaborations. The long-term vision is to build one of the most comprehensive functional drug-response datasets in oncology, integrating phenotypic response with genomic and transcriptomic data to improve interpretation of tumor biology and enable AI-driven therapeutic prediction.

Every cancer is biologically unique, shaped by hundreds of genomic and epigenetic alterations. Functional testing provides the missing layer of biological evidence needed to move beyond one-mutation/one-drug models toward truly individualized cancer care.

• Cure First requires ideally 1 week advanced notice (minimum 48 hours) prior to your procedure date. This allows time for you/your provider to receive our sample collection kit, fill out all required forms, and receive instructions for best sample quality. It also allows time for discussions with your oncologists and care team.

• The PARIS® test requires a three-week washout period from any therapy (exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis).

• The PARIS® test requires fresh, live tissue (not fixed or frozen) obtained via biopsy or surgical excision OR fresh liquid collections (such as ascites or pleural effusion) .

• Procedures should be scheduled from Monday through Thursday only, so they can be received during normal lab operating hours.

The PARIS® Test Cannot be Performed on:

• Fine Needle Aspirate biopsies

• Bone biopsies

• Old/Frozen/Fixed samples (must be fresh)

• Insufficient size (require a minimum of 4 core biopsies, 1 cm3 of tissue, or 250ml of fluids)

Once the procedure is scheduled, a sample collection kit will be shipped directly to the patient or the surgeon’s office, along with all required forms and detailed instructions. Each kit includes collection tubes, saline solution, pen-strep, ice packs, and a prepaid return shipping label.

After the sample is collected according to the provided guidelines, it should be carefully packaged and shipped back to our laboratory using the included return label.