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- The project will create new labs at Gannon’s I-HACK building and expand Saint Vincent’s medical laboratory science program.
- First Ascent’s AI program aims to personalize cancer treatment by using DNA/RNA sequencing and drug sensitivity data.
(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)
First Ascent Biomedical, a 2022 graduate of the Fire Accelerator program sponsored by the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, is betting that artificial intelligence might hold the key to more effective and personalized cancer treatment.
The Miami-based company isn’t alone in making that bet.
Gannon University and Saint Vincent Hospital announced plans Wednesday to develop two new laboratories inside Gannon’s Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge or I-HACK building. The plan has the financial support of the Lutheran Foundation for Long-Term Living, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority and the state of Pennsylvania.
First Ascent’s plans call for the immediate creation of 38 jobs paying between $60,000 and $150,000, with plans for the number of jobs to top 100 within five years.
That’s not to mention the construction jobs that will flow from the $6.5 million project that will include space for a 3,000-square-foot First Ascent lab, 2,000 square feet for offices and a second 3,000-square-foot lab that Saint Vincent Hospital would use to expand its medical laboratory science program.
About 100 people were at Gannon for the announcement.
More important than the jobs
Ultimately, the importance of all those jobs might take a backseat to the human impact of the work that will be done inside the building.
It’s there that First Ascent expects to work with 20,000 cancer patients a year, using artificial intelligence to process DNA/RNA sequencing, mutation analysis and data on drug sensitivity to produce personalized treatment information.
In an interview earlier this year with the Erie Times-News, First Ascent CEO Jim Foote explained the approach.
It’s not about finding a new cure, but crunching massive amounts of data to find the best drug for a patient and his or her tumor.
“Everybody is looking for the silver bullet,” Foote said. “I think we have enough bullets. We are just not using them in the right way. We are taking all the bullets available and finding out which one works for you.”
Foote said Wednesday that data already is being processed at its lab in Florida, but that the one in Erie will have five times the capacity.
Ultimately, he said, First Ascent hopes to locate facilities around the country.
Where’s the money coming from?
The Lutheran Foundation is contributing $2 million toward the project, while the ECGRA is chipping in $500,000 toward the project’s projected price tag of $6.5 million.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development has pledged $1.7 million toward the project.
“Generally, we support smaller nonprofit organizations with more limited means, but the LFLTL board saw this as an opportunity to make a wide-spread community impact,” said Mark J. Gusek, CEO of the Lutheran Foundation.
“The community involvement — the job creation, the new student programs, extending care to our community – really impressed the LFLTL board,” he continued.
Perry Wood, executive director of the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority, said that the $500,000 is the largest investment in ECGRA history.
The remainder of the money is expected to come through financing and ongoing fundraising efforts.
‘This has the potential to put Erie on the map’
Work is expected to start late this fall and to be complete in the fall of 2026.
“We are deeply appreciative to the Lutheran Foundation and to ECGRA for their support,” said Gannon President Walter Iwanenko. “Their significant gifts allow us to begin the design phase of this important initiative that will not only contribute to the economic development in downtown Erie but could potentially be a life-saving project.”
Iwanenko said that he believes the impact could be far-reaching.
“This has the potential to put Erie on the map in terms of biomedical technology and translational research,” he said. “We have the chance to seed a biomedical industry here in Erie with this project.”
Dr. Chris Clark, president of Saint Vincent Hospital, said he’s excited about the potential for cancer research taking place in Erie.
Clark also called the expanded education program an investment in the community’s future.
“By training the next generation of highly skilled medical technologists, we’re ensuring a robust healthcare workforce, including for underserved areas,” he said.
Clark also joked about the source of the ECGRA money that’s derived from Erie County’s share of revenues from Presque Isle Downs and Casino.
“I have to put a plug in for my sister and my mother who spent a lot of time at the casino,” he said.
Clark also took careful note of what’s at stake in bringing to Erie technology that has improved outcomes by 83%.
“We are in a position to start enrolling cancer patients to qualify,” he said. “We are ready to go.”
Jordan Fuller, who led the Fire Accelerator that brought First Ascent to Erie, was among many who have asked the company’s leaders why they chose Erie.
The answer, according to Foote, had a lot to do with the embrace of the community, starting with Erie Insurance, and the partnerships First Ascent has been able to form.
Foote was not shy about touting what he thinks this could mean to northwestern Pennsylvania.
“I think it will become an epicenter, a beacon of hope,” he said.
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.