NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz., said today that it will offer a pharmacogenetic test for a brain cancer drug made by Castle Biosciences.
Under the partnership, the St. Joseph's DNA Diagnostics Lab will perform Castle Biosciences' test to find out if a drug is likely to benefit certain glioblastoma multiforme patients. The DecisionDx-GBM test will tell a doctor if a tumor is likely to be sensitive or resistant to the standard first-line treatment, information that would save doctors time and help them plan their treatment approach.
St. Joseph's said it is the only lab to offer the test, and that doctors from around the US are sending samples to its lab for testing. The test is not yet available for ordering in California and New York, but the lab said it is pursuing licenses for those states.
The agreement was worked out with assistance from the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
Our offering this test is a prime example of translational genomics closing the loop between the research lab and the clinic," said John Stone, who heads the DNA Diagnostics Lab at St. Joseph's. "While there is currently no cure, this test can certainly help patients understand and plan for the likely course of the disease."