Oxford Gene Technology
(OGT), provider of innovative clinical
genetics and diagnostic solutions to advance molecular medicine, has today
announced that it has received a funding award of £1.16 million from the UK
government-backed Technology Strategy Board. As part of the project, OGT will
develop a tumour profiling assay based on targeted panel enrichment and next
generation sequencing (NGS). The new assay would improve cancer care by
providing specific information about each individual sufferer, thereby
facilitating the design of personalised treatment strategies. This would
minimise the use of untargeted, aggressive primary treatments, which are often
unnecessary and ineffective, while simultaneously improving the patient
experience and increasing survival rates. OGT is well positioned to develop
such a screening tool, as the company has considerable experience in providing
solutions to the clinical research market and already offers sequencing and
microarray services and products as part of its
GenefficiencyTM
and
CytoSureTM offerings.
As part of the new project, OGT will
utilise its expertise in the design of high-quality, high-throughput genomic
services to develop a flexible tumour profiling assay that reduces sample
processing costs and turnaround times. The assay will detect mutations at
informative loci, forming part of an integrated workflow that translates test
results into clear clinical decisions. Such a solution would ultimately be
provided as either a testing service or by the sale of an analysis ‘kit' that
could be used in-house by existing clinical laboratories. In addition, OGT will
use its experience in data interpretation to adapt its powerful
CytoSure Interpret Software to
analyse the results provided by the new assays, making it simple to generate
informative, easy-to-understand reports. James Clough,
OGT's Vice President of Clinical and Genomic Solutions, commented: "OGT has
significant experience in utilising its ISO-accredited laboratories to process
large numbers of samples and produce reliable results, quickly, accurately and
efficiently. The new cancer profiling assay will complement OGT's other
microarray and sequencing solutions, further expanding the analytical options
we provide. Such a service facility is novel in the UK and will benefit the
patient, clinician and healthcare funder in terms of quality of care and
cost-effectiveness."
The investment made through the Technology
Strategy Board is part of a five-year programme in stratified medicine research
and development involving over £60 million of government funding. Led by OGT,
the project is a partnership with the Universities of Southampton and Birmingham,
including Salisbury and Birmingham NHS Regional Genetics Laboratories, with the
latter as Birmingham United Molecular Pathology in collaboration with the
Department of Cellular Pathology at University Hospitals Birmingham. These
partners will provide further clinical and technical expertise, as well as
validation of the assay in a clinical setting using their own sequencing
platforms. Another partner in the project, CIS
Healthcare, is a market leader in chemotherapy prescription
management software. Results from the molecular profiling assay will be
integrated into CIS Healthcare's novel ChemoCare diagnostic module, thereby
providing clinicians with up-to-date, accurate and consistent information with
which to make treatment decisions.
For
more information about OGT's CytoSure and Genefficiency services and products
visit
www.ogt.co.uk.
Subscribe to any of our newsletters for the latest on new laboratory products, industry news, case studies and much more!
Request your free copies HERE
Popular this Month
Top 10 most popular articles this month
Today's Picks
Looking for a Supplier?
Search by company or by product
Please note Lab Bulletin does not sell, supply any of the products featured on this website. If you have an enquiry, please use the contact form below the article or company profile and we will send your request to the supplier so that they can contact you directly.
Lab Bulletin is published by newleaf marketing communications ltd.