Thermo Fisher Scientific launches new assay to assist lung cancer analysis

Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced the launch of its new Oncomine Lung Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA) Assay, a next-generation sequencing assay for liquid biopsy research.

Designed to target mutations in non-small cell lung cancer samples derived from circulating cfDNA in blood, the test is optimised for use with the company's Ion S5 System and enables highly-sensitive detection across a broad set of gene variants.

The assay contains gene targets such as EGFR and KRAS, confirmed as relevant by industry-leading clinical research partners at the OncoNetwork Consortia, and enables analysis with as little as 1 ng of DNA from a single tube of blood.

Verification data using the Oncomine Lung cfDNA Assay shows the test offers 90 percent sensitivity and greater than 98 percent specificity at a 0.1 percent limit of detection.

Jim Godsey, vice-president of research and development for clinical next-generation sequencing at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: "As liquid biopsies become more prevalent, our end-to-end solution will help take the field a step closer to one day making peripheral blood monitoring a routine approach for oncology treatment."

Last month, the company announced a new partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, working on the development of analytical solutions for the characterisation of complex biopharmaceuticals.