Source Bioscience launches Gastric HER2 test

Source Bioscience has released a new testing system for gastric cancer which it believes can offer benefits in the field of immunohistochemistry (IHC).

The science company has launched the Gastric HER2 test after receiving approval from the European Medicines Agency for distribution of the product across the continent.

It is designed to function in a similar way to existing HER2 tests for breast cancer, with testing methods having been modified and optimised following an international consensus meeting.

Differences between gastric and breast tumours have been accounted for with changes to the HercepTest IHC HER2-scoring system, allowing for a concordance of more than 90 per cent between IHC and fluorescence in situ hybridisation methods.

The company added: “The Gastric HER2 test is more complex than the standard HER2 test for breast cancer and Source Bioscience is the only laboratory in the country offering this test today.”

Last month, Source Bioscience purchased an additional two Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx platforms in order to increase its next generation DNA sequencing capacity.