The Future of Health Lives Here: The Lisa and Christopher Jeffries Precision Medicine Center

While two people may have the same type of cancer, one individual’s cancer may grow and spread differently than the other. And although treatments have improved, no two people respond to treatment exactly alike. That’s because every individual carries with them unique lifestyles, backgrounds and genetics that impact the course of their disease. This is where precision medicine becomes a differentiator.

Precision medicine involves unraveling an individual’s genetic code to develop treatment plans that perfectly fit them. It links the fields of genetics, biology and medicine – leveraging data, analytics and advanced technologies to tailor healthcare specifically to each patient.

Henry Ford Health’s commitment to precision medicine began with the belief that healthcare is not one-size-fits-all, that a patient’s care should be as individualized as their fingerprint. This means every patient needs a personalized treatment plan that takes into account the variable genetic and lifestyle factors that may otherwise be overlooked.

In 2020, Lisa and Chris Jeffries propelled Henry Ford Health’s precision medicine program to unprecedented heights through a $25 million donation to Henry Ford – an extraordinary commitment that grew out of their years of support toward the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center. This historic gift rapidly accelerated the growth and expansion of the program by creating the Lisa and Christopher Jeffries Precision Medicine Center and has laid the groundwork for many years of innovation and discovery to come.

“By analyzing genetic and non-genetic factors, we can gain a better understanding of how a disease forms, progresses and can be treated in a specific patient,” said Tom Mikkelsen, M.D., Medical Director of the Precision Medicine Program at Henry Ford Health. “As of today, we can check for more than 500 genomic markers in a single specimen, which can help us understand the pattern of changes in a patient’s tumor cells that influence how cancer grows and spreads. I’m confident this gift will lead to advancements that provide hope for patients with even the most complex diagnoses.”

The Jeffries’ gift was borne out of personal significance, with both Lisa and Chris having lost close family members to brain cancer – Lisa, her stepfather, and Chris, his father who underwent life-extending care by Dr. Mikkelsen and others at Henry Ford Health and our Hermelin Brain Tumor Center. Their remarkable investment has served as a catalyst for leading-edge research, innovative technology and impactful partnerships that are advancing real treatment solutions for patients. The efforts have a robust focus on the advancement of cancer research and treatment while also expanding to other medical specialties including Heart & Vascular, Behavioral Health, Pharmacy and more.

Since its inception, the Lisa and Christopher Jeffries Precision Medicine Center has been a hub of discovery – pushing Henry Ford Health to the forefront of translational research and individualized care. The incredible strides the team has made have ensured that Henry Ford Health continually operates at the intersection of data-driven research and compassionate, patient-centered care – breaking the mold of what is possible in healthcare and reaching beyond the standard of care to fuel the future of health.

The Jeffries’ gift is galvanizing care innovations in real-time. For example, the Center is now leading the effort to implement a Genomics module for Epic, Henry Ford Health’s electronic medical record. This module ensures that genetic testing results are available at the point of care and accessible to patients via MyChart. The data will allow for ongoing multidisciplinary clinical decision support and care gap reminders as a result of genetic test findings.

In Neurosciences, Hermelin Brain Tumor Center researcher Houtan Noushmehr, Ph.D., was recently awarded a prestigious National Institutes of Health R01 grant to research liquid biopsy – which monitors brain cancer recurrence and progression through a simple blood draw using DNA methylation.

And in Heart & Vascular, Henry Ford Health partnered in 2023 with DNA sequencing leader Illumina to launch a groundbreaking “CardioSeq” study to assess the impact of whole genome sequencing on cardiovascular care – screening 1,500 patients for over 200 genetic causes of cardiovascular disease.

“At the Lisa and Christopher Jeffries Precision Medicine Center, we’re capitalizing on information about our patient population to become smarter about the molecular genetics of complex diseases so we can target very specific treatments, curated for each patient,” said Steven Kalkanis, M.D., Executive Vice President, Henry Ford Health, CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group and CEO, Henry Ford Hospital.

The Center is fueling continuous improvements to achieve the best possible outcomes for our own patients while establishing data-driven standards that will advance the practice of medicine to benefit people across the globe. Our diverse patient population also enables us to work in partnership with communities that have historically been left out of clinical studies. Through these efforts, we are creating a stronger research body and providing backbone services for key research centers throughout the organization, such as the Pancreatic Cancer Center and Hermelin Brain Tumor Center.

Thanks to the inspiring generosity of Lisa and Chris Jeffries, Henry Ford Health is forging ahead on a path to deliver more equitable, effective, patient-centered care. The Lisa and Christopher Jeffries Precision Medicine Center has propelled this mission substantially – accelerating the efforts of our world-class physicians and scientists to revolutionize how healthcare is delivered not just locally, but around the world.