A Medical Device Daily

Life Technologies (Carlsbad, California) said that it is collaborating with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen; Phoenix) and US Oncology (The Woodlands, Texas) to sequence the genomes of 14 patients afflicted with triple negative breast cancer whose tumors have progressed despite multiple other therapies. The goal of this first-of-its-kind research collaboration is to demonstrate whether genomic sequencing of cancer tissue can provide clues for treatment strategies for these individuals.

While genomic sequencing has made great strides in helping researchers understand human disease, its clinical utility is not fully known. This research study brings together the accuracy of the Applied Biosystems SOLiD System, with US Oncology's expertise in cancer trials and TGen's Cancer Genome and Oncology programs, to provide additional information for oncologists and their patients.

Triple negative tumors, which make up nearly 20% of breast cancers, do not respond to treatment with common targeted breast cancer therapies such as Herceptin.

“This study could provide insight into how cancers can be potentially treated in the future,“ said Daniel Von Hoff, MD, physician-in-chief, senior investigator for TGen and chief scientific officer for US Oncology & Scottsdale Healthcare's Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center. “Current clinical trials are aimed at showing how one new drug can be safe and effective across hundreds of people. This study flips that concept by using sequencing data from one individual to evaluate which anti-cancer drugs could be most effective based on normal and tumor genetic makeup. This is truly the definition of genomic medicine.“

In this collaboration, US Oncology will help enroll patients in the study to have both tumor and healthy tissue sequenced using the SOLiD system to identify mutations, which will be validated by CLIA-certified Caris Life Sciences. Scientists and oncologists will then leverage this information to more intelligently evaluate potential therapies that target the affected pathways responsible for the cancer.

In other agreements/contracts news:

• Athenahealth (Denver), a provider of Internet-based business services to physician practices, and DaVita (Watertown, Massachusetts), a provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), reported a partnership to deliver an integrated, web-based electronic health record and revenue cycle management service to nephrologists across the country. The new service will be available to nephrologists interested in making the investment in a streamlined alternative to the multiple services and software programs they currently use to manage their clinical and business operations.

• Soluble Systems (Newport News, Virginia) and the Skin and Wound Allograft Institute (SWAI; Virginia Beach, Virginia) have signed an agreement to launch TheraSkin, a biologically active human skin allograft designed to jump-start healing in chronic and acute wounds. TheraSkin is a cryo-preserved human skin allograft with both epidermis and dermis layers. When applied to a wound that is not healing properly, TheraSkin can jump-start the healing process, the company said.