SAN DIEGO, Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequenom, Inc.
(NASDAQ: SQNM), a life sciences company committed to enabling
healthier lives through the development of innovative products and
services, today announced that it has entered into a clinical
research collaboration with the University of
California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center. Under this
collaboration, Moores Cancer Center will explore the utility of
Sequenom's new liquid biopsy assay to comprehensively profile
circulating cell-free tumor DNA in blood to enable serial
monitoring and assist with therapy selection in cancer patients.
This technology has the potential to overcome the challenges and
limitations associated with current methods such as imaging and
invasive biopsies.
"Sequenom has designed a comprehensive multi-gene panel based on
the clinical actionability of cancer genes. The ability to match
patients to a growing list of treatments and to monitor their
response by a simple blood draw promises to make a significant
difference in the way we treat cancer patients at UC San Diego,"
said Razelle Kurzrock, M.D., chief
of the Division of Hematology & Oncology and Murray Professor
of Medicine, senior deputy director of Clinical Science and
director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy &
Clinical Trials Office. "The collaboration with Sequenom will allow
us to analyze more cancer-related genes in the blood than
previously possible to better understand tumor heterogeneity and
the emergence of resistance mutations."
Sequenom is currently developing a Research Use Only (RUO) assay
with an initial focus on the detection and molecular profiling of
late stage non-hematologic malignancies, where tissue biopsies are
not available or too risky to obtain. The assay will cover a
breadth of cancer types by analyzing over 100 cancer-related genes
that are associated with a Food and Drug Administration
(FDA)-approved drug treatment, included in professional society
guidelines, linked to targeted therapies currently in clinical
trials, or part of well-documented cancer pathways.
"We are very excited to work with Dr. Kurzrock and the UC San
Diego Moores Cancer Center to evaluate our circulating tumor DNA
profiling assay in clinical samples," said Daniel Grosu, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at
Sequenom. "Our wholly owned subsidiary, Sequenom
Laboratories, has tested over 450,000 plasma samples to date with
our noninvasive prenatal tests, giving us significant experience
and know-how in the study of circulating cell-free DNA. We
are uniquely positioned to leverage this expertise and move liquid
biopsy from a research concept to routine clinical practice in
oncology."
The collaboration with UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center is the
first of a series of collaborations with leading cancer centers
worldwide that will utilize the assay as part of their clinical
research programs. Sequenom, through its wholly owned
subsidiary Sequenom Laboratories, intends to carry out further
studies in order to bring to market a liquid biopsy assay for use
in patient care in 2016.
About UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and the Center for
Personalized Cancer Therapy
Established in 1978, Moores
Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health is one of 45 National Cancer
Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, and the only one in the
San Diego region. Such centers are
prominent among the leading institutions in the nation dedicated to
scientific innovation and clinical excellence. This designation —
reserved for centers with the highest achievements in cancer
research, clinical care, education, and community contributions —
makes an enormous difference to its patients.
The Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy is an important
initiative of UC San Diego Health and Moores Cancer Center. The
center, led by Razelle Kurzrock,
M.D., works with patients with all types of cancer. As part of this
initiative, oncologists at Moores Cancer Center can order molecular
testing of a tumor's genetic profile and review a patient's medical
information with Moores Cancer Center's Molecular Tumor Board, a
multidisciplinary group of expert physicians and world-class
scientists who meet regularly to discuss the best treatment for
each patient. Based on genetic testing results, therapeutic options
may include new treatment candidates being studied in clinical
trials, as well as existing therapies that are widely available.
Moores Cancer Center participates in more than 200 clinical trials
for novel therapies. An important part of the Center's
initiatives is the Liquid Biopsy program, directed by Dr. Kurzrock.
This program pioneers examining DNA shed from tumors into the blood
or other fluids, to evaluate responses, without an invasive tissue
biopsy.
About Sequenom
Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) is
committed to enabling healthier lives through the development of
innovative products and services. The Company serves patients and
physicians by providing early patient management information. To
learn how Sequenom is interpreting the genome to improve your life,
visit www.sequenom.com.
About Sequenom Laboratories
Sequenom
Laboratories™, a CAP-accredited and
CLIA-certified molecular diagnostics laboratory, has developed a
broad range of laboratory-developed tests, with a focus principally
on prenatal care. Branded under the names
HerediT® CF, HerediT®
UNIVERSAL, VisibiliT™,
MaterniT21® PLUS, MaterniT™ GENOME,
and NextView™, these molecular genetic
laboratory-developed tests provide early patient management
information for obstetricians, geneticists, genetic counselors and
maternal fetal medicine specialists. Sequenom Laboratories is
changing the landscape in genetic diagnostics using proprietary
cutting-edge technologies. Visit www.laboratories.sequenom.com and
follow @SequenomLabs.
SEQUENOM®, Sequenom Laboratories™,
HerediT® CF, HerediT® UNIVERSAL,
VisibiliT™, MaterniT21® PLUS,
MaterniT™ GENOME, and NextView™, are
trademarks of Sequenom, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks
are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking
Statements contained in this press
release regarding matters that are not historical facts are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements
regarding the development of innovative products and services, the
ability of the Company's technology to overcome the challenges and
limitations associated with current cancer detection methods such
as imaging and invasive biopsies, the ability to match patients to
a growing list of treatments and to monitor their response by a
simple blood draw, the ability to analyze more cancer-related genes
in the blood than previously possible, the ability of the assay to
cover a breadth of cancer types by analyzing over 100
cancer-related genes, the ability to leverage the Company's
expertise and move liquid biopsy from a research concept to routine
clinical practice in oncology, and the ability to bring to market a
liquid biopsy assay for use in patient care in 2016. Because
such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual
results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by
such forward-looking statements. Risks are described more
fully in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including without limitation the Company's most recent
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other documents subsequently
filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this
press release speak only as of the date on which they were
made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such
statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist
after the date on which they were made.
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SOURCE Sequenom, Inc.