SAN DIEGO, Oct.12, 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 collaboration with University
Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in Germany. UKE and Sequenom will collaborate to
profile circulating cell-free tumor DNA in blood to monitor
response to treatment in later stage colorectal cancer patients.
This technology has the potential to overcome the challenges and
limitations associated with current methods such as imaging,
colonoscopy, and invasive biopsies.
"At UKE, we have been studying tumor-related nucleic acids and
cells in blood for many years and are engaged in a number of
clinical studies," said Klaus
Pantel, MD, Chairman in the Department of Tumor Biology,
Center of Experimental Medicine at University Medical Center
Hamburg Eppendorf. "The collaboration with Sequenom will allow us
to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate somatic mutations in
the blood of colorectal cancer patients, and monitor response to
treatment in a non-invasive manner."
"This is Sequenom's first oncology collaboration with a leading
cancer center in Europe," said
Daniel Grosu, M.D., Chief Medical
Officer at Sequenom. "We look forward to working with UKE to better
understand the dynamic changes in circulating tumor DNA that
accompany the use of various treatments in later-stage colorectal
cancer, and the concordance between tumor tissue and plasma across
a broad spectrum of genomic alterations."
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 in settings where tissue
biopsies are not available or are too risky to obtain. The
assay will cover a breadth of cancer types by analyzing over 100
cancer-related genes that are included in professional society
guidelines, linked to targeted therapies currently in clinical
trials, or part of well-documented cancer pathways.
About University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf
The
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf has the ideal
combination of research, teaching, and clinical work. Since its
establishment in 1889, the UKE has always been one of the most
modern hospitals in Europe. UKE
has developed expertise in the co-ordination of its more than 80
clinics and institutes and over 1,600 beds to enable collaborative,
patient-centered care.
The University Cancer Center Hamburg (UCCH) - Hubertus Wald
Tumor Center combines 34 research and medical departments and
several additional external partners with complementary expertise
to offer comprehensive cancer care for patients and to pursue
innovative multidisciplinary research at basic, translational, and
clinical levels. UCCH's strength in both research and patient care
is acknowledged by "Deutsche Krebshilfe" (German Cancer Aid), the country's major
independent funding organization in the field of cancer, which, in
a stringent peer review process, has designated UCCH a "Center of
Excellence in Oncology."
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
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 potential for the technology to overcome
the challenges and limitations associated with current methods such
as imaging, colonoscopy, and invasive biopsies, the ability to
qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate somatic mutations in the
blood of colorectal cancer patients, and monitor response to
treatment in a non-invasive manner, the ability to understand the
dynamic changes in circulating tumor DNA that accompany the use of
various treatments in later-stage colorectal cancer, and the
concordance between tumor tissue and plasma across a broad spectrum
of genomic alterations and the ability of the assay to cover a
breadth of cancer types by analyzing over 100 cancer-related genes.
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.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040415/SQNMLOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sequenom-collaborates-with-university-medical-center-hamburg-eppendorf-to-evaluate-clinical-utility-of-liquid-biopsy-in-colorectal-cancer-300157705.html
SOURCE Sequenom, Inc.