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IMMUNOASSAY ANALYZER
STAINER/CYTOCENTRIFUGE
BioFire Diagnostics
Shenzhen YHLO Biotech
ELITech Group
The BioFire Torch features a reduced footprint for up to 6x the throughput per square foot of lab bench space. It offers a scalable configuration for customized throughput, touch screen interface, barcode scanner and LIS connectivity.
The iFlash 1800 offers a throughput of 180 tests per hour with acridinium ester label technology. With 50 sample positions, 20 refrigerated reagent positions and random reaction vessel loading design, it is ideal for different labs.
The Aerospray Hematology Pro Slide Stainer/Cytocentrifuge is used to stain blood, bone marrow and other body fluids. Features include a range of staining settings, and the optional Cytopro Rotor that concentrates cells onto a slide.
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LMI-07-19 204
LINKXPRESS COM
LMI-07-19 205
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Liquid Biopsy Proves Effective for NSCLC on-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is any type of epithelial lung cancer other than small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. As a class, NSCLCs are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy, compared to small cell carcinoma. A liquid biopsy test is comparable to standard tissue biopsies in detection of guideline recommended biomarkers in advanced NSCLC, has a faster turn-around time, and has the potential to support identification of more patients who can be treated with targeted therapy. Scientists at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA; www.mdanderson.org) and their colleagues conducted a comprehensive liquid biopsy study conducted at several participating institutions, The team used the Guardant360 liquid biopsy test (Guardant Health Inc, Redwood City, CA, USA; www.guardant360.com) that employed cell-free tumor DNA (cfDNA) in blood to test for mutations in 282 patients. The test detected seven known predictive biomarkers including genomic alterations in ROS1, BRAF, RET, MET, ALK, EGFR and ERBB2, and one prognostic biomarker, KRAS mutations. Standard tissue sampling detected at least one of predictive biomarkers in 60 patients, while Guardant360 identified biomarkers in 77 patients. Among the remaining 193 patients who did not have one of the seven biomarkers, the liquid biopsy test found the KRAS mutation in 92 patients, compared to 24 patients with standard tissue sampling. The study reported a median turn-around time from test order to final results of nine days for the liquid biopsy test, compared to 15 days for tissuebased testing. Vassiliki Papadimitrakopoulou, MD, a professor of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology and the lead author of the study said, “We know that guideline-recommended testing is normally completed in on-
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ly 8% of patients with NSCLC. This does not provide all the crucial information for physicians to make an informed therapy decision. This study shows that a highly sensitive and specific liquid biopsy should be part of the standard of care for these patients. Given that advanced NSCLC is often fatal, it is important we get patients on treatment at the earliest possible time. Our findings show that we can greatly reduce the amount of time between testing and initiation of therapy.” The study will be presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2019, held March 29April 3, in Atlanta, GA, USA. Image: The Guardant360 kit for biopsy-free tissue sequencing for cancer (Photo courtesy of Guardant Health).
Genetic Markers Predict Susceptibility of Pancreatic Tumors panel of genetic markers allows clinicians to match pancreatic tumors with appropriate existing chemotherapeutic drugs. Since it has been difficult to select suitable treatment for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) based on genomic alterations, investigators at the University of Pittsburgh (PA, USA; www.pitt.edu), performed targeted genomic profile analyses of a large number of PDACs to evaluate the full spectrum of treatable genomic alterations. Previously, these investigators had developed “PancreaSeq”, a clinical molecular test to evaluate common pancreatic cysts and identify which cases may progress to cancer. The assay targets mutation detection by
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next generation sequencing in pancreatic cyst fluid fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens. The PancreaSeq panel offers simultaneous sequencing and detection of mutations in eight pancreatic cancer-related genes (AKT1, CTNNB1, GNAS, KRAS, PIK3CA, PTEN, TP53, and VHL). For the current study, the investigators performed targeted genomic profile analyses of 3594 PDAC samples from an international cohort, including capture-based targeted genomic profiling of as many as 315 cancer-associated genes and intron regions of 28 genes that were rearranged in cancer cells. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) status were also assessed. The study was published in the March 2, 2019, online edition of the journal Gastroenterology. LabMedica International June-July/2019
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