med fusion and Theranostics Health introduced the first of the TheraLink Assays for use in patients with malignant diseases at the just-completed American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual '13 Meeting. The TheraLink HER Family Assay for primary, recurrent, and metastatic breast cancers provides a molecular analysis of each patient’s unique cancer, based upon the functional activity of signal transduction pathways known to modulate cancerous growth. This “theranostic” assay provides a comprehensive molecular profile of the HER family of cell surface receptors and three key signaling pathways modulated by the HER family which have important roles in the therapeutic approach to treating breast cancer. It is the first in a series of similar assays based upon measuring a panel of analytes, including a number of drug targets
The TheraLink HER Family Assay measures the total amount and activation (phosphorylation) status of 14 critical proteins, receptors, and signaling pathway members, providing actionable information for 10 currently marketed therapeutics. Starting with a few histopathology sections taken from a core needle biopsy or open resection, the assay is a reverse-phase immunoassay that leverages the extreme sensitivity and precision of microarray technologies to measure these very low abundance proteins, with analyte-specific quantitation provided by on-array calibration samples along with positive and negative controls. The assay provides oncologists with actionable information on drug targets, directly linking active targets and available therapies to identify the most effective personalized treatment options. Learn more about Theranostics Health and medfusion.
