AstraZeneca confirms genetics deal
21 Aug 2014
Partnership will boost next generation gene sequencing panel for companion diagnostic tests.
Pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (AZ) has today announced plans to collaborate with gene sequencing company Illumina to develop its next generation sequencing (NGS) platform for companion diagnostic tests applicable across AstraZeneca’s oncology portfolio.
According to AZ, it intends to apply Illumina’s technology to a novel companion diagnostic test in pivotal studies for one of its investigational oncology compounds.
“Our aim is for doctors to be able to use these tests to prescribe the right medicines for the right patients
AZ VP Ruth March
If successful, the NGS-based companion diagnostic test could be used to improve the clinical diagnostics process, an AZ statement said.
Illumina’s NGS technology, which allows rapid sequencing of multiple genes, will be used to screen a panel of several gene sequences, scanning for all possible genetic variants - known and unknown - rather than specified mutations from a single tumour sample.
According to AZ, the information obtained from sequencing full genes will be used to predict which patients will respond to certain treatments.
AZ personalised healthcare & biomarkers vice president Ruth March said: Illumina’s technology will inform doctors about the molecular make-up of their patients’ tumours, enabling them to match medicines to the drivers of disease.
“Our aim is for doctors to be able to use these tests to prescribe the right medicines for the right patients - bringing benefits to healthcare professionals, payers and patients alike.”
Today’s announcement comes shortly after Illumina was named a project partner on the 100,000 Genome’s Project unveiled by Prime Minister David Cameron at the start of August.
