Cancer Genetics, Inc., and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will study genomic biomarkers in patients with lymphoma

Cancer Genetics, Inc., developer of DNA-based cancer diagnostics, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have entered into a collaboration to examine genomic biomarkers in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and use an integrated approach to investigate their association with patient outcome.

Approximately 200 DLBCL tumors from patients previously treated with current frontline immunotherapeutic regimens (e.g., Rituximab) will be evaluated. The biomarkers assessed will include genomic rearrangements, copy number changes, and mutations. Copy number changes will be detected by CGI's proprietary MatBA array, which is commercially available as a laboratory developed test and is CLIA-approved. Mutation analysis of a panel of genes known to be altered in DLBCL will be performed by next-generation sequencing. By looking at these patient samples and assessing the relationship of shared genetic variants to overall survival, the study will allow researchers to assess the genomic landscape of DLBCL tumors and integrate knowledge of shared genomic alterations into a robust, clinically validated model of DLBCL patient survival and outcome.

To date, a number of studies have reported the relationship of individual molecular markers to prognosis for DLBCL, but the relationship of these individual markers to one another has not been adequately examined or built into a comprehensive model. The collaboration between Cancer Genetics and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will allow researchers to determine how these genomic biomarkers are related to one another and their collective impact on DLBCL patient overall survival. The addition of robust molecular markers to assist in predicting patient outcome will improve patient stratification and prognostication in DLBCL, and will better identify those patients likely to have an overall good prognosis, versus those who are likely to relapse or who are not likely to respond to treatment. Learn more about the MatBA product line.