NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Horizon Discovery Group announced today that it will provide genomic reference materials in support of the second phase of Cancer Research UK's Stratified Medicine Programme.
The work will focus on validating a Cancer Research UK SMP next-generation sequencing targeted enrichment panel using Horizon's HDx human genomic reference materials. The project involves multigene, multi-aberration tumor analysis and is being run in laboratories that comply with clinical pathology accreditation and good laboratory practices, as well as ISO-accredited laboratories that have been assessed by the UK National External Quality Assessment Service.
The reference materials will support the run-to-run and lab-to-lab longitudinal assessment of the NGS technology's performance, Horizon said. In the second phase of the project, Cancer Research UK will collaborate with the national Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network and national genetic testing labs to develop a screening program for lung cancer samples. The results will be used to place patients in the National Lung Matrix Trial.
Horizon's diagnostics business will provide renewable, genetically defined reference materials that encompass a range of genetic aberrations and defined allelic mutation frequencies. The reference materials developed will provide a common universal reference point, allowing researchers to compare assay performance across sequencing platforms, targeted assays, and laboratories, the firm said.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.