Oncology Testing Service Utilizes New Microarray Technology

An oncology testing service utilizes a new microarray technology to aid in the faster, earlier, and more accurate diagnoses of hematological malignancies.

The OncoChip offering is among the very first microarrays that can detect balanced translocations, their partners, and their breakpoints associated with the hematological malignancies.

PerkinElmer, Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) Signature Genomics Laboratories introduced the new service, which quickly identifies chromosome abnormalities to aid in cancer patient diagnosis and prognosis. The results of the OncoChip microarray technology may allow for more targeted, rapid, and accurate treatments of patients with hematological cancers, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, T-cell and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Clinicians can select from a broad menu of cancer-specific panels that will be run by PerkinElmer's Signature Genomics Laboratories, using software applications that have been designed to allow for customization suiting the needs of each individual patient.

Two distinct OncoChip microarray options are offered by PerkinElmer--Copy Number Evaluation (CNE) and Translocation Assessment (TA). CNE detects all clinically relevant copy-number gains and losses commonly seen by karyotype. It also measures gains and losses below the resolution of karyotyping and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), providing more detailed information. The TA microarray option detects the clinically relevant balanced translocations identified by FISH and karyotype and precisely recognizes balanced translocation breakpoints, as well as balanced translocation partners not distinguishable by these methods.

"Findings using OncoChip have the potential to help clarify or alter a patient's diagnosis and prognosis as well as reclassify the disease. Results are provided faster, accurately, and with more clinical relevance than current standard methods, which furthers our goal to enable a more personalized approach to treatments,” said Lisa G. Shaffer, PhD, president, PerkinElmer's Signature Genomics Laboratories. "The OncoChip also allows for the detection of even more chromosome abnormalities than has been possible previously.”

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