Thermo Fisher Scientific on Thursday launched a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assay for research in myeloid measurable residual disease (MRD).
Among the first NGS-based tests to support both DNA and RNA input, the research-use-only Ion Torrent Oncomine Myeloid MRD Assay provides an MRD assessment from blood and bone marrow samples, Thermo Fisher said.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by rapid disease progression and can be fatal if not treated promptly. Depending on the interventions used, the number of AML patients who experience relapsed disease can be as high as 78%, Thermo Fisher noted.
Detecting remaining mutations after treatment can help identify the presence of residual disease and guide patient prognosis and further treatment decisions. This is driving a growing need for MRD detection methods that can simultaneously track mutations across multiple genes with high sensitivity.
Thermo Fisher noted that current MRD detection methods do not evaluate individual mutations or can track only a very limited number of mutations at once.
Its Myeloid MRD Assay enables simultaneous testing and identification of more than 90% of common AML mutations and fusions, providing insights to guide the future of clinical applications, standards, and drug development, the firm said.
