Foundation Medicine says three of its comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) assays will be used by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) to inform patient eligibility for oncology clinical trials through EORTC's Screening Patients for Efficient Clinical Trial Access (SPECTA) program. [Dr. Cecil Fox (Photographer)
Foundation Medicine says three of its comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) assays will be used by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) to inform patient eligibility for oncology clinical trials through EORTC's Screening Patients for Efficient Clinical Trial Access (SPECTA) program. [Dr. Cecil Fox (Photographer)

Foundation Medicine said today its comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) assays will be used by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) to inform patient eligibility for oncology clinical trials through EORTC's Screening Patients for Efficient Clinical Trial Access (SPECTA) program.

Under an agreement whose value was not disclosed, Foundation Medicine agreed to provide genomic testing services for SPECTA through three of its genomic profiling assays

  • FoundationOne, the company’s flagship assay for solid tumor cancers that include non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal, breast, ovarian, and melanoma. FoundationOne includes analysis of genomic biomarkers such as microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (TMB),
  • FoundationOne Heme, designed to detect all classes of genomic alterations in more than 400 cancer-related genes—namely hematologic malignancies and sarcomas including, but not limited to, leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. In addition to DNA sequencing, FoundationOneHeme employs RNA sequencing across more than 250 genes to capture a broad range of gene fusions, common drivers of hematologic malignancies, and sarcomas.
  • FoundationACT, a liquid biopsy assay for solid tumors, such as those in NSCLC, breast, colon, and prostate cancers. The assay has been validated to detect all classes of genomic alterations in more than 60 of the most commonly mutated genes in solid tumors using only a blood sample.

Foundation Medicine said the genomic profiling results will help inform patient eligibility and facilitate enrollment in clinical trials. Samples will be processed at any of Foundation Medicine's laboratories located in the U.S. and Europe.

EORTC is a trans-national group consisting of more than 4,000 collaborators from all disciplines involved in cancer treatment and research in more than 800 hospitals and institutions in over 35 countries. SPECTA is a pan-European network created by the EORTC and collaborating institutions to provide efficient access for patients to molecularly-driven clinical trials.

“The EORTC is a renowned leader in integrated translational research, and their SPECTA program is an exciting opportunity for oncologists to utilize our robust genomic profiling tests to more efficiently match patients with appropriate clinical trials,” CMO Foundation Medicine CMO Vincent Miller, M.D., said in a statement. “Together, Foundation Medicine and the EORTC can work toward improved access to innovative clinical trials, helping to accelerate precision oncology for more patients.”

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