ChromaCode has announced a partnership with the department of pathology at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University in Georgia to test the analytical and clinical performance of ChromaCode's HDPCR non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) biomarker assay.
The testing at MCG is intended to continue the validation process for the Carlsbad, CA-based ChromaCode's NSCLC test. In research published recently in Diagnostics, the assay detected DNA single nucleotide variants, insertions, and deletions, as well as RNA fusions, with high sensitivity, even with minimal input material. The assay achieved high concordance (> 97%) with a next-generation sequencing test.
In a statement, ChromaCode noted that the NSCLC assay provides complete coverage of the variants identified by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network as clinically relevant in NSCLC. The test offers a four-hour workflow; results interpretation is performed in minutes through cloud-based analysis.
"Diagnostics are a critical part of the high-quality integrated cancer care we provide to patients, and we are always looking to test and develop assays that might facilitate establishing eligibility for targeted therapies in a timely manner," Dr. Ravindra Kolhe, professor and interim chair in the department of pathology and director of the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory at MCG, said.
"Given results to date for the NSCLC HDPCR assay in terms of speed and accuracy, we believe that it has the potential to reduce turnaround times and in the future benefit patients with specific mutations for which there are targeted treatment options," Kolhe added.
