Thermo Fisher Scientific will host a series of customer presentations during its corporate workshops featuring the latest clinical research data on emerging biomarkers in cancer at the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) 2019 annual meeting on Nov. 6. The workshops will highlight details from studies in non-small cell lung cancer, immuno-oncology and hematology, and include the introduction of Thermo Fisher's newest next generation sequencing (NGS) assay, Oncomine Comprehensive Assay Plus.*
As the oncology biomarker landscape continues to evolve, greater clarity is needed to understand the prevalence and proper utilization of targeted and immuno-oncology biomarkers in tumor evaluation. Drs. Alain Mita, co-director of Experimental Therapeutics, and Eric Vail, director of Molecular Pathology at Cedars Sinai, will present data on RET fusions, the value of simultaneous assessment of comprehensive molecular results and the impact of faster turnaround times.
Ilaria Alborelli, PhD, scientist at the Institute of Pathology, University HospitalBasel, Switzerland, will deliver preliminary results from her assessment of Oncomine Comprehensive Assay Plus, a pan-cancer assay that covers more than 500 genes and enables simultaneous analysis of both DNA and RNA from just 10 ng in a single workflow. The new assay is designed to identify all classes of somatic variants, including SNVs, CNVs, fusions and splice variants, while also measuring tumor mutation burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) – key biomarkers for emerging immunotherapies.
Dr. Yuri Fesko, medical director for oncology for Quest Diagnostics, will provide an overview of the limitations and best practices for TMB assessment results. The workshop will also feature comparison studies from Q2Solutions which evaluated results from Oncomine TCR-Beta assays* with other on-market panels.
The rapid adoption of NGS to effectively assess driver mutations in hematology-oncology samples is providing many advantages and efficiencies over conventional molecular testing techniques. Speakers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Q2Solutions will present their assessment of how to simplify analysis of myeloid and lymphoid samples using assays from Thermo Fisher's portfolio of Oncomine panels, including Oncomine BCR IGH assays.* (*For Research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures).