AltheaDx Incorporates Next-Generation Sequencing Into Its Clinical Testing Pipeline.

SAN DIEGO, June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AltheaDx, Inc. today announced the launch of next-generation sequencing "NGS" services into its clinical molecular pathology lab for application in biomarker discovery and clinical trial testing.  AltheaDx intends to utilize NGS for both monitoring known and discovering new complex genetic changes that underlie different cancer types.  

"The addition of NGS greatly expands our OncoScore™ initiative and adds to our core competency in quantitative PCR.  NGS now enables us to monitor the complex genomic changes indicative of certain cancer subtypes and their impact on therapeutic activity at a speed, cost and sensitivity that is only now achievable with the new systems coming on the market," said Francois Ferre, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of AltheaDx.  

Dr. Ferre further commented that "we fully expect that the new NGS systems will be highly synergistic to our directed strategy of creating cancer-specific molecular subtype panels in partnership with Compendia Bioscience.  The utilization of NGS systems is also highly complementary to our RT-PCR-based gene expression panels, allowing us to capture the full breadth of genetic activity in cancer.  Our adoption and implementation of these new technologies, be it PCR, microarray or NGS, fits perfectly with our pharma-focused testing services and the demand for cutting edge strategies for genetic analysis."

AltheaDx's CSO, Dr. Joseph Monforte, noted that "we plan to take the lead in providing the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with well-characterized, predictive biomarker panels composed of both genetic polymorphisms and gene expression patterns.  Our combined OncoScore™ RNA and DNA panels will provide a detailed characterization of the key molecular variables that comprise the unique genetics of each patient.  It is only with this level of characterization that we will be able to identify the main factors driving therapeutic sensitivity and resistance in clinical trials."

AltheaDx has a decade-long history in preclinical and clinical assay development and testing.  With the latest PCR, microarray and sequencing platforms AltheaDx is able provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners with both predefined and customized solutions for characterizing preclinical models and clinical patients at a high level of resolution on both the RNA and DNA front.  

About AltheaDx, Inc.

AltheaDx, a leading diagnostic development and testing company, with San Diego-based GLP & CLIA certified laboratories, provides clinical biomarker discovery, assay development and validation services that support researchers worldwide in their efforts to utilize genomic information for the advancement of novel therapies.  AltheaDx plays a critical role in helping pharma to discover and validate biomarkers that can predict drug response, and then to provide an efficient seamless commercialization path to bring the tests to market.  The goal of AltheaDx is to reduce the time, risk, and cost of therapeutic development for pharma partners.  For more information on how we are making a difference, please visit our website: For more information on how we are making a difference, please visit our website: www.altheadx.com.  Follow AltheaDx on Twitter:  @AltheaDx

About Compendia Bioscience, Inc.

Compendia Bioscience is dedicated to applying the global collection of cancer genomic data to impact patient treatment by enabling the discovery and development of better cancer diagnostics and treatments. www.compendiabio.com

For additional information please contact:
AltheaDx:  Steve Daniel, [email protected]
Compendia Bioscience:  John Freshley, [email protected]

SOURCE AltheaDx, Inc.