Leading Pathologists to Showcase First Case Studies with Oncomine Dx Target Test at Association for Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting

CARLSBAD, Calif. and SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) have revolutionized the use of genetic information to improve the understanding of cancer and how the disease can be addressed through precision medicine. In pursuit of this endeavor, Thermo Fisher Scientific customers will highlight their latest findings in solid tumor profiling and liquid biopsy clinical research during the company’s corporate workshop taking place Nov. 15 at the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Annual Meeting.

In what will also be the first-ever presentation of a case study by a laboratory using the Oncomine Dx Target Test, Dr. Daniel Duncan, M.D., medical director of Cancer Genetics Inc. (CGI) will discuss how the first NGS-based companion diagnostic for non-small cell lung cancer (NCSLC) is helping to address the need for simultaneous screening of multiple biomarkers to help guide therapy selection more efficiently.

“For patients with lung cancer, days matter. Clinicians need tests that provide fast turnaround times, requiring labs to simplify workflows to meet these demands,” said Dr. Duncan at CGI. “Compared to sequential testing methods, we’ve found the Oncomine Dx Target Test allows us to analyze multiple NSCLC biomarkers using limited tumor sample to deliver results in a matter of days versus weeks. We are very excited to offer this test and look forward to future collaborations with Thermo Fisher as we expand our oncology test portfolio.”

Beyond solid tumor profiling, research using liquid biopsy analysis can offer a look into real-time molecular monitoring of cancer progression from plasma, while also providing a more comprehensive picture of cancer’s natural heterogeneity. However, many existing technologies may not be sensitive enough to detect minute amounts of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in a blood sample.  Dr. Meenakshi Mehrotra, Ph.D., hematopathology post-doctoral fellow, will demonstrate how the Oncomine cfDNA lung and colon assays overcome these limitations, while also showing strong concordance with solid tissue samples.

“Advances in NGS-based assay technology are rapidly changing the way how cancer is understood, which is helping to drive its application in precision medicine as we’ve seen by the FDA approvals this year,” said Joydeep Goswami, President of Clinical Next-Generation Sequencing and Oncology at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “The customer presentations at AMP are prime examples of what’s on the horizon for new approaches that hold great potential to broaden the future of the technology’s application in cancer.”

Scientific Posters at AMP
Thermo Fisher will also feature 11 posters at AMP covering a wide range of research topics, including:

1. Ion Torrent Next Generation Sequencing – Detect 0.1% Low Frequency Somatic Variants (SNVs) and Copy Number Variations (CNVs) simultaneously in Cell-Free DNA. Friday, Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m., poster number ST60
2. Development of a Breast and Lung Cancer Research Panel to Detect Copy Number and Gene Fusion Variants from Blood. Saturday, Nov. 18, 9:45 a.m., poster number ST45
3. A Computational Framework for Large-Scale Analysis of TCRβ Immune Repertoire Sequencing Data on Cloud-Based Infrastructure. Saturday, Nov. 18, 9:45 a.m., poster number ST105
4. Estimating Mutation Load from Tumor Research Samples Using Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Assay at >= 5% Allelic Frequency. Saturday, Nov. 18, 9:45 a.m., poster number ST129

Thermo Fisher’s corporate workshops will be held Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 8 a.m.-12:50 p.m. in the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, rooms 355BC and 255A. For a full list of poster presentations and workshops, visit the Thermo Fisher AMP 2017 website. For more information on how Thermo Fisher’s genetic analysis solutions can help advance clinical research, stop by the company’s booth (#718) during the conference Nov. 16-18.

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.

Media Contact Information:
Mauricio Minotta, Thermo Fisher Scientific
+1 760 929 2456
+1 760 805 5266 (mobile)
mauricio.minotta@thermofisher.com

or

Maurissa Messier, CG Life
+1 908 208 9254
mmessier@cglife.com

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.