SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19, 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 the University of Colorado
Denver, School of Medicine (CU School of Medicine). Under
this collaboration, CU School of Medicine will explore the utility
of Sequenom's research use only (RUO) liquid biopsy assay to
determine whether ctDNA profiling can be used to monitor treatment
response and relapse in melanoma patients. This technology
has the potential to overcome the challenges and limitations
associated with current methods to monitor treatment response such
as invasive biopsies and repeated imaging studies.
"In just the last few years, we have made significant progress
in the treatment of melanoma patients in whom the disease has
progressed beyond the skin to involve internal organs. I
believe that the ability to match patients to new treatment options
and to monitor their response with a simple blood test will yield
significant clinical benefit," said William
Robinson, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Medical Oncology,
Rella and Monroe Rifkin Endowed Chair, University of Colorado School of Medicine. "We
anticipate that the collaboration with Sequenom will allow us to
closely monitor treatment response and the emergence of resistance
mutations over time and make changes or adjustments in treatment
much earlier than can be done currently."
Sequenom is currently developing an 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.
"Liquid biopsy has many potential applications for a variety of
cancers," said Daniel Grosu, M.D.,
Chief Medical Officer at Sequenom. "This is our first
collaborative study focusing on melanoma, which expands the range
of cancers and clinical care settings that we are exploring with
this novel technology. We are uniquely positioned to leverage
our strong expertise in testing circulating cell-free DNA to move
liquid biopsy from a research concept to routine clinical practice
in oncology."
About University of Colorado
Denver School of Medicine
The University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus has one of the largest clinical and melanoma
research programs in the US and is part of the University of Colorado NIH designated Cancer
Center.
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 to monitor treatment response such as invasive biopsies and
repeated imaging studies, the belief that the ability to match
patients to new treatment options and to monitor their response
with a simple blood test will yield significant clinical benefit,
the anticipation that the collaboration will allow UC Denver to
closely monitor treatment response and the emergence of resistance
mutations over time and make changes or adjustments in treatment
much earlier than can be done currently, the ability of the assay
to cover a breadth of cancer types by analyzing over 100
cancer-related genes, whether liquid biopsy has many potential
applications for a variety of cancers and Sequenom being uniquely
positioned to leverage its expertise in testing circulating
cell-free DNA to move liquid biopsy from a research concept to
routine clinical practice in oncology. 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.