Roche Acquires High-Precision Dissection Technology from AvanSci Bio

Roche Diagnostics of the Roche group (Basel, Switzerland) has signed a definitive Asset Purchase Agreement with AvanSci Bio (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) for all products associated with the high-performance microdissection of slide-mounted tissue sections for subsequent molecular analysis.

The system consists of instrumentation, software, and consumables used by researchers and clinicians to extract specific areas of tissue with high precision and purity for subsequent molecular analysis, including real-time PCR, microarrays, and sequencing. For example, tumor tissue staining gives important information about both tissue context and spatial relationships, as well as about tumor heterogeneity stemming from evolution of multiple subclones within the tumor. Information obtained from stained areas enable to pinpoint and extract more precise regions of interest within a tissue, resulting in purer samples of sufficient quantity that can then be used for sequencing. In addition, the analytical sensitivity of sequencing improves with higher sample purity, as does subsequent data analysis and interpretation.

AvanSci Bio's patent-pending technology includes the automated “MilliSect” instrument, which targets a 100 mm² to 100 µm² level of resolution (what AvanSci refers to as "meso" dissection range). This unique technology is highly precise, easy to use, and very affordable when compared to manual dissection methods and laser microdissection systems. The MilliSect system's high specificity and quality enables a greater than 90% tumor enriched sample for molecular analysis.

The system will be tested at select customer sites in 2015 as part of a broader development program for a future-generation instrument.

“This innovative system will expand our diagnostic tool kit, allowing us to link the diagnostic hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain with sequencing analysis through high-quality sample preparation,” said Dan Zabrowski, head of Roche Tissue Diagnostics and Sequencing Solutions, “It will also enable us to meet the critical challenge of tumor heterogeneity.”

“We are very pleased that Roche has decided to pursue this Asset Purchase Agreement with AvanSci Bio,” said Rob Perry, CEO, AvanSci Bio, “We see Roche as the leader in tissue-based diagnostics, molecular diagnostics, and oncology, as well as tumor sample enrichment technology, which puts them in a unique position to maximize the impact our technology will have on the rapidly evolving field of sequencing and in improving patient care.”

As the challenge of tumor heterogeneity is addressed through slide-based tissue diagnostic technologies and as the analytical sensitivity of next-generation sequencing improves, patients may benefit through more accurate and effective targeted therapies. Roche continues to invest in bridging anatomical pathology and genomics as laboratories increasingly rely on pure, tumor-enriched slide-mounted tissue samples for sensitive and efficient molecular analysis.

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