Partnership enables local oncology genomic testing to broaden patient access to expedited, personalized care where it matters most - close to home
St. LOUIS, MO., Oct. 7, 2021— Pierian, the global leader in clinical genomics knowledge, today announced that it will partner with Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) to support expanded access to the highest quality genomic testing on solid tumors and hematologic malignancies and lymph nodes leveraging NGS technology. Under the partnership, FCS will locally analyze and interpret sequencing data generated with the Illumina TruSight™ Oncology 500 Research Use Only assay and the Invitae VariantPlex®, LiquidPlex™, and FusionPlex® panels using Pierian Clinical Genomic Workspace™ (CGW) to rapidly and accurately detect mutations and offer the best therapeutic options for patients.
Historical approaches to precision medicine testing include centralized testing performed at large national laboratories where the laboratory typically has little-to-no interaction with the patient and limited treating physician interaction. By localizing genomic testing, FCS patients will benefit from more direct access to testing within the context of care. Offering these tests in the FCS laboratory will also enable improved collaboration between the diagnostic team who interpret the test results and the treating physicians, which drives alignment across the care team and increases confidence in the clinical utility of genomic testing.
The genomic test results at Florida Cancer Specialists will be delivered via a customizable report generated by the Pierian CGW. Powered by a comprehensive knowledgebase and secure and scalable data analysis platform, the Pierian CGW will enable Florida Cancer Specialists to quickly and accurately classify and interpret variants to inform treatment or match patients to the right trial within the practice’s large network of participating clinical trials.
According to Florida Cancer Specialists CEO Nathan H. Walcker, “We see tremendous clinical and strategic value to performing this very important testing in-house. By offering in-house genomic testing, we will continue to seek the best options for care for our patient population by quickly and efficiently providing existing treatments as well as optimizing clinical trial matching opportunities. We look forward to partnering with Pierian to provide even greater tools to our physician partners at FCS and enabling wider access to high complexity testing to the patients we are privileged to serve.”
“We are thrilled to provide our best-in-class bioinformatics and knowledge platform to support personalized, community-based cancer care,” states Mark McDonough, CEO of Pierian. “Partnering with leading-edge institutions like Florida Cancer Specialists aligns perfectly with our mission to democratize clinical genomics and to optimally serve physicians and the patients they treat.”
About Pierian
Founded in 2014, 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, 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 somatic cancer and hereditary diseases. For more information visit www.pieriandx.com.
