Thermo Fisher Oncomine Focus Assay; TaqMan Assays

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched the Oncomine Focus Assay, a multi-biomarker, next-generation sequencing panel that includes 52 solid tumor genes associated with current oncology drugs and published evidence. The Oncomine Focus Assay allows concurrent analysis of DNA and RNA, enabling sequencing of 35 hotspot genes, 19 genes associated with copy number gain and 23 fusion genes, all in a single workflow using the Ion PGM System. The assay also leverages Ion AmpliSeq technology's low DNA and RNA sample input requirements from FFPE tissue (10 ng of extracted nucleic acid per reaction for a total of 20 ng per sample) to enable accurate and reliable sequence analysis across a large range of tumor sample types, including small biopsies and fine-needle aspirates.

As a complement to this new assay, Thermo Fisher Scientific has also introduced a set of new TaqMan research assays designed to detect fusion transcripts using real-time PCR. These assays can be used as an orthogonal confirmation method during the implementation of this NGS workflow, the company said.