Allegheny Health Network has tapped DNA sequencing giant Illumina to test out the use of in-house comprehensive cancer genomic profiling to enhance patient care.
The two organizations will evaluate whether blood-based testing can inform oncology providers about genetic variations within a patient's cancer, which could influence a physician's choice of treatment based on cancer stage and type.
The initiative is part of AHN Cancer Institute's plan to help improve the cancer care pathway through its newly established AHN Clinical Genomics Laboratory in Pittsburgh.
"As an organization that treats more than 10,000 cancer patients each year, being at the forefront of cancer genetic profiling is critically important to our mission of helping pioneer the next generation of targeted therapies that will provide more effective treatment for all types of cancers," said David Bartlett, M.D., chair of the AHN Cancer Institute. "We believe our collaboration with Illumina will help bring us closer to that reality."
Allegheny Health Network is an integrated health system operating 13 hospitals and serving the Western Pennsylvania area.
The collaboration with Illumina will assess the value of in-house testing for both tissue and blood samples, versus sending those samples externally, and whether this approach may benefit cancer patients and the broader healthcare system. The collaboration will also work to identify instances where blood-based testing is most beneficial, depending on cancer stages and types, executives said.
Looking at approximately 1,000 samples, the collaboration will compare solid tissue biopsies with less invasive blood samples to see if regular blood testing can provide additional information on the genetic changes within a patient's cancer, which may be relevant to the choice of treatment. If so, less-invasive comprehensive cancer genomic testing of blood samples could potentially complement tissue sampling, substantially increasing the number of patients who are able to have their tumors profiled and be part of clinical trials for cancer therapy selection, according to executives.
"We know that cancer results from a disrupted genome, and knowing the genetic changes in a patient's cancer increasingly results in personalized, targeted therapy and improved outcomes," said Phil Febbo, M.D., chief medical officer at Illumina. "Partnering with AHN to help them perform testing within their system will further advance their institutional expertise in genomic cancer diagnosis, increase opportunities to match their patients with personalized therapy and improve patient outcomes."
The project kicked off earlier this year and is slated for one year, with the potential to expand this clinical research in the future. Samples for the study have been collected across AHN Cancer Institute's 24 affiliated oncology clinics.
Illumina is a provider of sequencing- and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. In August, the company acquired Grail, maker of a newly launched blood test to detect dozens of different cancers, in an $8 billion deal.
The company recently launched a new in vitro diagnostic test in Europe designed to profile various cancer mutations and help direct patients to targeted therapies. Illumina is also developing specific companion diagnostic uses under partnerships with biopharma companies—streamlining the process of finding out if a patient will benefit from a particular cancer drug or if they should be enrolled in a clinical trial.