New Affordable Advanced NGS Cancer Test Launched by EKF Subsidiary

Selah and GHS partner to pave the way for accessible, low-cost personalized medicine

 

Cardiff, UK – 15^th May 2015 – EKF Diagnostics subsidiary, Selah Genomics, has announced the launch of its next generation sequencing (NGS) technology PrecisionPath™ in partnership with Greenville Health Systems (GHS), one of the leading community-based cancer institutes in the US. For the first time patients will have wider access to affordable advanced NGS testing that can help doctors determine the most effective cancer treatments based on an individual’s genetic profile.  This new NGS panel molecular test is an important step towards readily accessible and affordable personalized medicine in cancer.

 

The launch of PrecisionPath™ Colon follows a successful one year trial with GHS, and will be the first commercial NGS panel molecular test for invasive colon cancer priced under US$1,000 with a target turnaround time of less than 7 days per reportable result.

PrecisionPath™ can be used by oncologists to identify the specific growth drivers for colon cancer in an individual based on their genetic make-up and to, ultimately, ensure the most effective therapy is used at all times during treatment. By identifying the cancer’s specific susceptibility to available treatments, PrecisionPath™ will help oncologists select the most effective options for a patient based on the patient’s tumor type.  

 

The advantage of the PrecisionPath™ Colon test panel is that it focusses on a key number of actionable biomarkers which provide maximum clinical utility at a more affordable cost. Oncologists in community hospitals, who treat the majority of cancer patients, can simply collect appropriate tumor samples and ship them to Selah for analysis. Selah will then extract the DNA from the patient’s tumor tissue before molecularly profiling it at GHS’s Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR) using leading-edge Ion Torrent NGS.

 

Following sequencing, the PrecisionPath™ panel provides a clear and concise report that differentiates between those genes with proven clinical utility and others under clinical trial investigation. This report is then made available to the cancer patient’s oncologist via Selah’s secure web portal. As the body of evidence for clinical utility grows, reports will be updated accordingly, providing doctors with a means to routinely integrate genomic analysis into the everyday care of cancer patients.

 

Initially PrecisionPath™ Colon will be available across GHS’s oncology treatment centers. EKF will then expand the service throughout the US targeting oncologists and pathologists treating patients with invasive colorectal cancer. EKF intends to offer PrecisionPath™ in additional indications, including lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma beginning in late 2015.

 

Julian Baines, CEO of EKF, commented: "The launch of PrecisionPath™ Colon, at a price under $1,000 coupled with a 7 day turnaround time, demonstrates EKF’s commitment to providing affordable access to world-class diagnostic testing to oncologists treating patients across the US. It remains our goal to secure reimbursement from public and private payers for PrecisionPath™ and we believe our case is strengthened by our focus on invasive colon cancer and the clear guidelines that support clinical utility in this area.”

 

Jeffrey Edenfield, MD, Medical director of GHS’ Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR), added: “We are excited by the opportunity to actively work with Selah to help standardize the availability of molecular medicine. Not everyone has a major academic cancer institute in their back yard, but everyone deserves access to a precise diagnosis and targeted treatment options.”  

 

EKF and GHS’ commercialization partnership strengthens an already successful relationship, which began in March 2012 with the formation of Selah’s Clinical Genomics Centre at GHS. PrecisionPath™ has been developed in close association with some of the US’s leading cancer specialists from the initial piloting program at the GHS Institute for Translational Oncology Research (GHS ITOR) in May 2013 until its commercial launch in May 2015. This partnership exists alongside the 18 month collaboration announced on 2 March 2015 which is part funded by Becton Dickinson and Company and brings together Selah’s NGS technology and DecisionQ artificial intelligence-based decision support algorithms.

 

About EKF Diagnostics - www.ekfdiagnostics.com

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, which includes the EKF Diagnostics, EKF Molecular, Stanbio Laboratory, Separation Technology Inc., DiaSpect and Selah Genomics brands, specializes in the development, production and worldwide distribution of point-of-care blood analyzers for use in the detection and management of diabetes, anemia, lactate and kidney related diseases. Its new molecular division, EKF Molecular Diagnostics, focuses on technology used within the development of companion diagnostics, specifically within oncology.  EKF products are sold in more than 100 countries around the globe, through a network of specialist distributors.

 

About Selah Genomics – www.selahgenomics.com

Selah Genomics is a clinical diagnostic specialist supporting healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical industry with advanced molecular and genomic diagnostic services. Selah’s services add value to early stage drug development, clinical trials and regulatory processes in the pharmaceutical industry and helps clinicians and healthcare providers treat and monitor patients, thereby improving patient outcomes. With the Power of Precision, Selah Genomics provides the best in molecular diagnostic testing, assay validation and genomic profiling that all leads to one common goal: to provide better outcomes for patients.

 

About GHS’s Institute for Translational Oncology Research

GHS’s world class cancer research institute, ITOR (Institute for Translational Oncology Research) – which has one of the top phase 1 clinical research units in the country, and has partnered with more than 50 pharma/biotech companies who continually sponsor phase 1 clinical trials at GHS, including numerous first-in-human studies. ITOR also has a rapidly growing bioinformatics-driven Tissue Bank and Biorepository, a Clinical Genomics Center for onsite molecular profiling and a 30,000 sq ft innovation/research zone with multiple private sector, academic and clinician partners.