New Myeloid Research Assay Combines Simultaneous DNA and RNA Analysis of Most Relevant Hematologic Cancer Driver Genes

CARLSBAD, Calif., Dec. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinical researchers interested in studying driver mutations suspected in hematological malignancies now have access to a new targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) research panel for simultaneous analysis of 74 relevant genes. Thermo Fisher Scientific's Ion Torrent Oncomine Myeloid Research Assay interrogates DNA mutations, RNA fusion transcripts and gene expression levels associated with myeloid cancers in a single run, yielding results in 2-3 days.

Current approaches for analyzing hematological disorders often require multiple sequential analyses using varying technologies, which are cumbersome to implement in a laboratory, not cost-effective and can significantly delay time to results. As more research is done around blood-based cancers, scientists will need to examine more gene targets. NGS can support further development of comprehensive assay designs that enable simultaneous analysis of targeted content to overcome the complexity and hurdles associated with a sequential, single biomarker screening approach. The Oncomine Myeloid Research Assay has been designed to analyze 40 DNA genes, 29 fusion driver genes and five gene expression levels associated with several myeloid cancers, including:

• Myeloid leukemia (AML)
• Myeloid dysplastic syndrome (MDS)
• Myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN)
• Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
• Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML)
• Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)

Dr. Michael Rauh, MSc, Ph.D., M.D., FRCPC, a hematopathologist at Kingston General Hospital and assistant professor within the department of pathology and molecular medicine at Queen's University, Ontario, and his team published clinical trial results in the Journal of Clinical Oncology earlier this year using Ion Torrent technology to demonstrate the utility of NGS to help drive deeper understanding of pathophysiology and greater personalization of myeloid cancer diagnosis and therapy selection.

"Myelodysplastic syndromes can often be difficult to diagnose and subsequently treat," Dr. Rauh said. "Advances in NGS and custom-panel designs have made it possible for researchers to hand-select mutations of interest to build a pan-myeloid assay that is more useful for identifying mutations linked to myeloid cancers." 

Nancy Carson, Ph.D., head of the division of genetics at the department of lab medicine and pathology at Saint John Regional Hospital, Canada, received an early access version of the assay, and she commented that: "With the Ion Torrent myeloid panel, we could move the testing of all myeloid malignancy research to one assay and improve on turnaround time while keeping the cost down. In our assessment of previously characterized samples, we had excellent concordance for relevant variants, including fusions."

The Oncomine Myeloid Research Assay workflow is simplified with the Ion Chef System for library preparation, which reduces total hands-on time to under 45 minutes. In addition, access to the Oncomine Knowledge Reporter will allow users to link variants to relevant labels, guidelines and global clinical trials. The assay is also fully compatible with the Ion PGM and Ion S5 systems.

"Building on our proven Oncomine technology, we are committed to expanding our portfolio of complementary cancer assays for targeted sequencing," said Andy Felton, vice president, product management of clinical sequencing at Thermo Fisher. "The addition of the Oncomine Myeloid Research Assay now provides clinical researchers with yet another tool that will help drive their understanding of blood-based cancers and enable development of potential strategies for future application in precision medicine."

The Oncomine Myeloid Research Assay is for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 65,000 employees globally. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

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