Invivoscribe Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific agreed to establish a long-term strategic alliance to develop multiple next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based, in vitro (in the lab) diagnostic (IVD) oncology tests, grounded on the Ion PGM Dx System.
“As the world leader in serving science, Thermo Fisher is committed to collaborating with strategic partners who share our drive to help make precision medicine a reality,” Joe Bernardo, Thermo Fisher’s president of clinical sequencing, said in a press release. “We look forward to providing our expertise and next-generation sequencing diagnostic system, which will serve as the foundational platform for an expanding line of Invivoscribe NGS oncology assays.”
The agreement stated that Invivoscribe will leverage its 20 years experience in development, validation, and commercialization to manufacture and market immuno-oncology molecular diagnostics and associated bioinformatic software for application in liquid biopsies.
The partnership is aligned with Invivoscribe’s current global mission, to accelerate and provide standardized, regulatory-compliant molecular diagnostic assays to support precision medicine in oncology. All products are consistent with ISO 13485 design control.
The assays might become important tools for diagnosis and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring of hematological conditions. Over 600 institutional customers use Invivoscribe’s test menu in 65 countries, and the company sells a series of CE-market IVD assays for NGS.
“This agreement further solidifies Invivoscribe’s dedication to providing, on a worldwide basis, clinically actionable tests for personalized molecular medicine. Our tests are used to better diagnose, stratify, and monitor a full range of hematologic malignancies,” said Invivoscribe’s CEO, Jeffrey Miller, PhD.
“Through our collaboration we will leverage Thermo Fisher’s cutting-edge NGS technology and Invivoscribe’s development expertise in cancer diagnostics and regulatory and quality systems to provide diagnostic tests with superior clinical sensitivity. We are also very excited to provide our optimized NGS tests with comprehensive bioinformatics software, so our customers can perform the entire testing and reporting process, including MRD testing, within their laboratories.”
University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have identified and mapped a series of gene sites thought to control immune cell responses. Importantly, researchers found that similar genes with similar genetic mapping positions seem to control both body weight and immune cells’ behavior after infection. The paper, “Genomic Modifiers of Natural Killer Cells, Immune Responsiveness and Lymphoid Tissue Remodeling Together Increase Host Resistance to Viral Infection,” was published in PLOS Pathogens.
