Northwell Health and The START Center for Cancer Research have opened Northwell-START New York-Long Island with a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony. The center represents a $5.7 million investment and includes 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art early Phase I oncology trial facilities.
It is the first START site in New York and part of the world's largest network of community-based early oncology trial centers. The center is located at Northwell's R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center and offers patients local access to innovative therapies without extensive travel.
Facilities: Full research team, 14 infusion chairs, six private exam rooms, dedicated pharmacokinetic lab, and hazardous and non-hazardous drug pharmacy. It is adjacent to diagnostics, molecular testing, and other specialties.
"This partnership fundamentally changes access to novel therapies," explained Richard Barakat, MD, Physician-in-Chief of the Northwell Cancer Institute. Northwell treats more cancer patients in New York than any other system.
Nick Slack, CEO of START, emphasized, "Early cancer research has been limited to a few centers – we are now bringing it to the communities." START conducts over 800 active trials and is the largest global network for early oncology trials.
Leadership: Geraldine O’Sullivan Coyne, MD, PhD, with experience from the National Cancer Institute. A second center in Manhattan is planned for 2027.
Active trials can be viewed via the START Hope Hub and clinicaltrials.gov.
