In This Issue...
Texas Companies Partner on Cancer Genome Project
BGI Tech Solutions and South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START) have joined forces on the San Antonio 1000 Cancer Genome Project (SA1kCGP). By collecting detailed clinical patient information, SA1kCGP hopes to make connections between genetic mutations and clinical outcomes that other major cancer genome projects have not been able to. Under the collaboration, START, which initiated the study, recruits patients, acquires tumor samples, and collects clinical patient information. BGI Tech then uses next-generation high-throughput sequencing technology to conduct whole genome sequencing on the cancerous and normal tissue and blood samples from these patients. BGI Tech will also archive and analyze all sequencing data to identify mutations associated with specific cancers, while START's electronic medical records technology and proprietary Clinical Synchrony software link genomic alterations with clinical information, including both treatment and survival data. Since SA1kCGP began in 2012, it has already surpassed its initial goal of collecting samples from 1,000 patients and eventually plans to sequence the cancer genomes of 10,000 patients. All the data that results from SA1kCGP will be made available to researchers and others worldwide.
G3 and Illumina Collaborate on Cardiovascular Disease Study
Global Genomics Group (G3) and Illumina have signed an agreement to study novel biomarkers and biological pathways of cardiovascular diseases. Under this collaboration, Illumina will conduct whole genome sequencing in the G3-funded clinical study, Genetic Loci and the Burden of Atherosclerotic Lesions (GLOBAL). GLOBAL is an international, prospective, multi-center study recruiting up to 7,000 patients, and is the largest pan-omic study combining genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, lipoprotein proteomics and glycomics with coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography. In the study, patients undergo coronary CT angiography, an advanced imaging technology for phenotyping that enables the precise classification of disease. The data from this and pan-omic analysis are then analyzed using systems biology-based bioinformatics technology to identify diagnostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.
"This is the first study of its kind, designed to investigate the biological basis behind the complex processes responsible for atherosclerosis," said Szilard Voros, MD, CEO and co-founder of G3. "Whole genome sequencing is a centerpiece of this landmark study, and this collaboration with Illumina and its most advanced next-generation sequencing technology is essential to the success of the program."
Myriad to Continue Supporting AstraZeneca Olaparib Clinical Trials
Myriad Genetics and AstraZeneca have entered into an expanded, nonexclusive global collaboration to provide companion diagnostics for the olaparib Phase 3 clinical development program. Designed by AstraZeneca, olaparib is an investigational drug for various tumor types, including BRCA-mutated breast and ovarian cancers. Under the broadened agreement, clinical studies with olaparib will continue to include the use of Myriad's BRACAnalysis test as a companion diagnostic, and Myriad will build a new laboratory within its Salt Lake City facility in accordance with Food and Drug Administration regulations for companion diagnostic devices. This collaboration extends an existing agreement between the two companies, through which Myriad supported the Phase 2 development program for olaparib with a supply of BRACAnalysis.
"Our hope is that the Phase 3 development program for olaparib will result in a new treatment option for patients suffering from BRCA-mutated ovarian and breast cancers, accompanied by a diagnostic to help identify the patients for whom the therapy might be most appropriate," said Ruth March, vice president and head of Personalized Healthcare and Biomarkers at AstraZeneca.