Hematogenix Laboratory Services Launches Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Evaluation for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Using the Standardized ERIC Method

TINLEY PARK, Ill., April 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hematogenix Laboratory Services® - an industry leader in the field of integrated pathology services for drug development and immuno-oncology testing, launches monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). Achieving MRD-negative complete remission (CR) is a prerequisite for long-term unmaintained disease-free survival. The use of MRD analysis in CLL is becoming increasingly common for assessment of response, identifying the process of tumor depletion and relapse, and it is proposed as a potential surrogate endpoint in clinical trials. Hematogenix has validated a flow cytometry-based MRD test, which is a standardized method that has been established by the European Research Initiative on CLL (ERIC).  This test is performed on peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate samples and has a sensitivity of 10^-4 or 0.01%. 

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2018 it is estimated that there will be more than 20,000 new cases of CLL, representing 1.2% of all new cancer cases in the U.S., and an estimated 4,510 people will die of this disease. Various treatment and therapeutic options now exist for CLL. The goal of therapy is to reach longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN) guidelines state that MRD negativity, determined in the peripheral blood after the end of treatment, is emerging as an important predictor of treatment efficacy. The NCCN guidelines suggest the testing used to evaluate MRD has a sensitivity of 10^-4 or 0.01%; this level of sensitivity is accomplished by the Hematogenix MRD-CLL assay utilizing the standardized ERIC method.

Hytham Al-Masri, MD, CEO, and founder of Hematogenix, commented that "our MRD-CLL assay using the standardized ERIC protocol improves prediction of progression-free survival (PFS). Our assay will help our Pharma partners by providing a surrogate marker for longer PFS in their clinical studies potentially shortening the time to assess the efficacy of their new drugs in development. The potential clinical utility of a highly sensitive assay to detect MRD can be used to direct individualized therapy and will be beneficial to oncologists and their patients."

About Hematogenix
Hematogenix is a CAP/CLIA-certified laboratory with board-certified clinical, anatomic and research pathologists who provide consultation and guidance for all aspects of the company's pharma and diagnostic services. Hematogenix offers an array of biomarker development and testing services which navigate the complexities of human subject clinical trials. Hematogenix provides logistics management of sample procurement, distributes collection kits, and contributes to standards and procedures required for initiating a clinical trial. Learn more about Hematogenix's comprehensive biomarker development and testing services at www.hematogenix.com.

HEMATOGENIX® is a registered trademark of Hematogenix Laboratory Services, LLC.
NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER NETWORK® is a registered trademark of The National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc.

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SOURCE Hematogenix Laboratory Services, LLC

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