Allegheny Health Network’s Biomarker Moonshot Cancer Research Program Marks Five-Year Milestone, Enrolling More Than 11,000 Patients Across All Cancer Types

PITTSBURGH - Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Institute today announced that its Biomarker Moonshot Cancer Research Program has surpassed 11,000 enrolled patients, marking five years of progress toward transforming cancer detection, monitoring, and personalized treatment across its integrated health system.

Launched in late 2020, Moonshot is a systemwide biomarker research initiative that enrolls patients across all cancer disease sites, creating one of the most comprehensive real-world cancer data and biospecimen repositories in a community-based health care network. By combining genomic, clinical, and longitudinal blood and tissue data, the initiative is accelerating discoveries that directly inform patient care.

"Reaching our five-year milestone and enrolling more than 11,000 patients reflects the extraordinary dedication of our teams and the generosity of the patients who have chosen to participate," said David Bartlett, MD, chair of the AHN Cancer Institute and president of the AHN Research Institute. "By studying all cancer types and following patients from diagnosis through treatment, we are building a powerful, real-world dataset that drives meaningful advances in care. Moonshot is helping us move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and bring more precise, personalized treatment to every patient we serve."

Moonshot is currently enrolling approximately 250 patients per month across more than 30 AHN clinical sites, spanning the full cancer continuum from early-stage disease to advanced malignancies. The most frequently represented disease sites include breast, lung, uterine, colorectal, ovarian, skin, blood, prostate, pancreatic, and kidney cancers, reflecting the program's broad and inclusive scope.

At the core of Moonshot is the use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) - tiny fragments of cancer DNA found in the bloodstream - to better understand disease behavior over time. Patients who consent to the study contribute routine blood and residual surgical tissue samples, which undergo advanced genomic analysis. These results are integrated with data from the electronic medical record to create a detailed, longitudinal picture of each patient's cancer journey.

This approach could enable clinicians to:

• Detect molecular residual disease after surgery
• Assess treatment response earlier than conventional imaging
• Monitor disease progression or recurrence over time
• Inform of more precise, individualized treatment decisions

Since its launch, Moonshot has supported dozens of research projects, including peer-reviewed publications, national conference presentations, academic grants, and industry collaborations focused on early detection, treatment response, and disease monitoring.

The initiative has also laid the groundwork for AHN's long-term goal of developing a personalized blood test applicable across cancer types.

Building on its momentum, Moonshot is preparing to expand into studies of high-risk populations, with the aim of advancing earlier cancer detection and prevention. As enrollment continues to grow, AHN leaders say the initiative will remain central to the network's mission to deliver innovative, high-quality cancer care rooted in real-world evidence.

"Every data point represents a person and a story," said Dr. Bartlett. "Moonshot ensures those stories could help shape better outcomes not only for today's patients, but for generations to come."