NEW YORK – Laboratory Corporation of America said on Tuesday that it will use Thermo Fisher Scientific's Ion Torrent Genexus System and Oncomine Precision Assays for research and development of companion diagnostics as well as for other future oncology and precision medicine applications.
The company said that if the Thermo Fisher system is cleared or approved for diagnostic use, it could also be installed in smaller LabCorp facilities as well as hospitals and at the site of other LabCorp customers to expand access to "efficient, expedient, and cost-effective NGS testing."
In addition to applying the system to cancer research and test development, LabCorp said that the platform's automation makes it well suited to next-generation sequencing-based testing in clinical trials run through LabCorp's drug development labs.
LabCorp joined Thermo Fisher's Next-Generation Sequencing Companion Dx Center of Excellence Program in 2017.
The Genexus System is a fully integrated NGS platform that delivers results in one day. The Oncomine Precision Assay, which was developed for the system, is a pan-cancer panel that enables comprehensive genomic profiling from formaline-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and liquid biopsy samples. Both the system and assay are for research-use only currently.
"We are very excited to collaborate with Thermo Fisher and leverage the capabilities of the Genexus system," Marcia Eisenberg, chief scientific officer of LabCorp Diagnostics, said in a statement. "This streamlined platform, with fast turnaround time and automated workflow, has the potential to bring the power of next-generation sequencing to a broader range of settings and to stimulate significant advances in the future for the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of cancers."
"Through our valued partnership with LabCorp, we have a pivotal opportunity to expand access to comprehensive genomic profiling," said Peter Silvester, senior vice president and president of Life Science Solutions at Thermo Fisher. "Our goal is to improve the future standard of care by enabling our customers to leverage genomic information in every setting possible."