GenomeDx Announces Research Collaboration with Astellas to Identify Genomic Drivers of Patient Response to XTANDI® (enzalutamide) Capsules

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GenomeDx Biosciences today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with Astellas, a leading global pharmaceutical company, to apply genomic tumor profiling using GenomeDx's Decipher® Classifier and Decipher GRID® as a potential aid in the identification of prostate cancer patients undergoing active surveillance who may benefit from treatment with XTANDI® (enzalutamide).  

As part of the agreement, Astellas will provide GenomeDx with tumor samples from its Phase 2 ENACT trial (NCT02799475), which is comparing the time to prostate cancer progression between patients treated with enzalutamide versus patients undergoing active surveillance. GenomeDx will profile all samples to provide Astellas with an analysis of tumor aggressiveness based on its Decipher Classifier score, and a Decipher GRID profile which will assess the biological behavior of a patient's tumor based on a set of signatures that may be associated with enzalutamide response. 

"Profiling our study samples through Decipher Classifier and Decipher GRID will provide us with expansive genomic information, allowing Astellas to potentially deliver innovative, targeted therapies to patients most likely to benefit," said Bruce Brown, M.D., senior medical director, oncology, Astellas. "The genomic data provided by GenomeDx will help us to better understand the molecular drivers of prostate cancer and how those drivers interact with response to enzalutamide."

"This collaboration with Astellas represents the power of the GRID database – the ability to share and analyze what used to be incomprehensible amounts of genomic data to provide a better understanding of how individual patients respond to treatment," said Doug Dolginow, M.D., chief executive officer of GenomeDx. "Together with Astellas, we will be able to compare genomic tumor profiles from patients in their clinical study with thousands of tumor profiles in the GRID database in an effort to identify new and existing genomic signatures that may be predictive of treatment response."

About Decipher GRID® and Decipher® Prostate Cancer Classifier Tests

GenomeDx's Decipher Genomics Resource Information Database (GRID) contains genomic profiles of thousands of tumors from patients with urological cancers, and is believed by GenomeDx to be the largest shared genomic expression database in urologic cancer as well as one of the world's largest global RNA expression databases using cloud-based analytics. GRID is a platform for interactive research collaboration, and may enable more rapid discovery, development, commercialization and adoption of new genomic solutions for key clinical questions in cancer treatment.

Derived from GRID, GenomeDx's Decipher Prostate Cancer Classifier tests are commercially available genomic tests that provide a genomic assessment of tumor aggressiveness for individual patients. Decipher Biopsy is indicated for men with localized prostate cancer at diagnosis, and Decipher Post-Op is indicated for men after prostate removal surgery. The Decipher tests are used by physicians to stratify patients into more accurate risk groups than determined by traditional diagnostic tools and to better determine which patients may be more likely to benefit from additional treatment. Each tumor analyzed with a Decipher test adds new data points to the GRID database, which is compiled into a Decipher GRID Profile that may reveal additional biological characteristics of the tumor for ongoing research purposes. Going beyond risk stratification, Decipher and GRID makes accessible genetic information for researchers to potentially better predict responses to therapy and more precisely guide treatment.

More information is available at www.deciphertest.com and www.deciphergrid.com.

About GenomeDx Biosciences

GenomeDx has reimagined the use of genomics as a platform for mass collaboration to improve treatment and outcomes of people with cancer. GenomeDx has built Decipher GRID, a large and fast-growing genomics database in urologic cancer that provides a foundation for open and interactive research collaboration and knowledge creation. Using Decipher GRID and machine learning to analyze vast amounts of genomic data, GenomeDx develops and commercializes proprietary clinical tests that are intended to provide more accurate and useful diagnostic information than traditional diagnostic tools or existing genomic tests. GenomeDx's Decipher Biopsy and Decipher Post-Op are commercially available prostate cancer genomic tests that provide an assessment of tumor aggressiveness based on a patient's unique genomic profile. GenomeDx is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and operates a clinical laboratory in San Diego, California.

Learn more at www.GenomeDx.com

SOURCE GenomeDx Biosciences