23 April 2018 - - Baltimore, Maryland-based cancer genome analysis specialist Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc.'s whole exome analysis platform has contributed to an important new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showing promising efficacy for a leading checkpoint inhibitor in early stage lung cancer, the company said.
The study also showed that patients who had higher tumor mutation burden (TMB) according to the Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGDx) analysis had better responses to the checkpoint inhibitor than those with lower tumor mutation loads.
The study was conducted by cancer researchers from Johns Hopkins University, including PGDx co-founder Victor Velculescu, MD, PhD, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
The NEJM study reported that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received the anti-PD-1 agent nivolumab before undergoing surgery for their cancer experienced fewer relapses than patients who did not.
PGDx has expertise in cancer genome analysis ranging from sample preparation and sequencing to data interpretation and analysis. It uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) and proprietary algorithms to identify alterations in complex cancer genomics and has developed novel technologies for non-invasive approaches to cancer diagnostics.
The company is also developing a portfolio of tissue and liquid biopsy cancer tests.