22 January 2020 - - US-based cancer genomics company Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc is partnering with Japan-based Eisai Co., Ltd. to develop a comprehensive liquid biopsy biomarker discovery solution for oncology, to be used by Eisai researchers at their Tsukuba Research Laboratory, the company said.

The goal of this collaboration is to create a kitted NGS product that will enable researchers and biopharma companies to conduct biomarker discovery work using non-invasive blood samples collected from patients in clinical trials.

By delivering comprehensive genomic insights from the samples, researchers may generate clinical data repositories to gain deep insights into the molecular evolution of tumors throughout the treatment course without the need for invasive, and resource-intensive, serial tissue biopsies.

Using DNA isolated from patient blood samples, the automated NGS solution will detect somatic alterations across more than 500 genes in cancer and drug-resistance related pathways.

The profiling assay will report single nucleotide variants, insertion/deletions, copy number alterations, rearrangements, and genomic signatures, including microsatellite instability and tumor mutation burden.

A key advantage of this solution will be the ability to provide comprehensive genomic profiling data in clinical trials where tissue is not available, and it will enable investigators to evaluate drug response dynamics and emerging mechanisms of treatment resistance.

During the development process of this new liquid biopsy biomarker discovery solution, PGDx and Eisai will provide opportunities for researchers around the globe to join the collaboration.

It is a shared goal and vision of the two companies that this solution will be utilised in clinical trials, as well as become a future standard option in clinical practice.

Personal Genome Diagnostics empowers the fight against cancer by unlocking actionable information from the genome.

We are committed to improving clinical insight, speed of results, and healthcare economics by delivering a portfolio of regulated tissue-based and liquid biopsy genomic products for laboratories worldwide.

PGDx was established by researchers from Johns Hopkins University who are pioneers in cancer genome sequencing and liquid biopsy technologies.