Collaboration will create integrated clinical interpretation and reporting solution
ST. LOUIS, Mo., and AUGSBURG, Germany, MAY 5, 2020 — Pierian, the leading clinical genomics informatics company, and University Hospital of Augsburg today announced a strategic development partnership to optimize an interpretation and reporting workflow based on the Pierian Clinical Genomics Workspace™ platform for the AmpliSeq for Illumina Myeloid and Focus assays. Under the agreement, University Hospital of Augsburg will use the Pierian Clinical Genomics Workspace to create an out-of-the-box bioinformatics and clinical genomics reporting workflow optimized for these AmpliSeq assays and tailored to the specific needs of the European market.
The AmpliSeq Myeloid and Focus assays accommodate DNA or RNA samples and investigate a number of genes, gene fusions, or expression levels with known relevance to solid- and blood-based cancers. These assays, already in use by University Hospital of Augsburg, are a key part of the hospital’s overall plan to expand its NGS testing program to offer precision medicine treatments to the community it serves.
As assays become more sophisticated, interpretation and reporting have usurped library preparation and sequencing as the most complex portion of the workflow. Manually interpreting each case is simply not scalable, especially with frequently changing literature, guidelines, and clinical trials.
To address these challenges, University Hospital of Augsburg will use the Pierian Clinical Genomics Workspace, which includes a highly-curated, rules-based knowledgebase and clinical sharing network for the rapid classification of variants. Concurrent to its use of Clinical Genomics Workspace, University Hospital of Augsburg will work with Pierian on an ongoing basis to refine a European market-specific reporting workflow for the AmpliSeq assays. The result will be a refined clinical genomics report, complete with assay-specific variant filters, that is optimized with European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines, EMA drug labels, and active and recruiting European clinical trials, all of which have been included in the Pierian platform since 2019.
Sebastian Dintner, Head of Molecular Pathology, University Hospital of Augsburg, states “We are happy to work with Pierian to optimize the workflow and pioneer one of the first region-specific reporting solutions for the AmpliSeq assays. By doing so, we will be able to accomplish our mission of expanding our precision medicine offerings to provide advanced cancer care for our patients. ”
“As we provide streamlined interpretation and supporting solutions for leading assay manufacturers, it’s imperative that we acknowledge region-specific needs of the market,” states Rakesh Nagarajan, Founder, President, and Chief Technology and Visionary Officer of Pierian. “We are excited to partner with University Hospital of Augsburg because it helps us refine our system for the European market.”
About Pierian
Founded in 2014 out of Washington University in St. Louis, Pierian is focused on advancing cancer diagnostics and making targeted therapeutics more accessible to healthcare systems, laboratories, and patients worldwide. Its industry-leading clinical genomics technologies, CAP and CLIA accredited laboratory, IVD-ready knowledgebase and reporting solution, and expertise deliver the most integrated, trusted, and collaborative approach across the clinical care spectrum. From genomic sequencing and biomedical informatics in the laboratory to reporting and decision support at the patient’s bedside, Pierian drives the adoption of genomics in clinical care and accelerates the fight against cancer and other diseases. www.pieriandx.com.
Contact: Ilaria Fasanella, VP Business Development, EMEA
