Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. (PGDx) today announced a strategic collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The two organizations will work closely on the development of innovative solutions aimed at enabling seamless introduction of next-generation sequencing and genomic-based tumor profiling capabilities across a diverse set of clinical operations and laboratory settings.
“PGDx is thrilled to collaborate with MGH, one of the nation’s most highly regarded research hospitals and a leader in advancing the field of genomic testing into clinical cancer care for the benefit of patients,” said Megan Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of PGDx. “Our elio™ tissue complete platform enables comprehensive tumor profiling and assessment of tumor mutation burden, which can be used to inform treatment strategies that employ targeted immunotherapies and other advanced precision medicines. This collaboration will aid in our goal of ensuring this powerful technology is broadly accessible to patients across all types of healthcare settings.”
Cancer care in the 21st century requires comprehensive genetic information. The field of oncology has firmly embraced genetic tumor testing into patient care. One of the biggest challenges, however, is having access to all diagnostic information at the right time to make the best treatment decisions possible. The increased demand for testing has resulted in increased pressures on laboratories to implement high-throughput sequencing services.
“Despite dramatic advances in the number of targeted therapies and biomarkers identified in non-small cell lung cancer, several studies have shown that fewer than 50% of patients diagnosed with this disease receive comprehensive genomic profiling,” said Lauren Ritterhouse, MD, PhD, Associate Director of MGH’s Center for Integrated Diagnostics. “Many of these instances are associated with a lack of access to multigene next-generation sequencing panels.”
The collaboration between PGDx and the MGH recognizes the critical importance of empowering local laboratories. The groups will initially focus on a Precision Diagnostics solution that comes with a playbook and enables seamless introduction of next-generation sequencing testing across many laboratories. The groups are also committed to creating an on-site training program with a special emphasis on laboratory and clinical operations to accomplish broad-scale patient access.
“Next-generation sequencing is complex, and overcoming the various constraints puts many laboratories in a tough position,” said Ritterhouse. “MGH is known for bringing discoveries to patients. And we believe it is important to focus our attention on facilitating a solution that will enable broader patient access to precision diagnostics.”
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