September 1, 2021 – Thermo Fisher Scientific’s clinical sequencing business and AstraZeneca have announced they will co-develop next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based companion diagnostics (CDx) to support AstraZeneca’s expanding portfolio of targeted therapies.
The companies said in a press release that they will collaborate under a multiyear, global agreement. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
To expand global access to a growing list of precision medicine therapies, in 2019 Thermo Fisher introduced the Ion Torrent Genexus System, the first fully-integrated NGS platform featuring an automated specimen-to-report workflow that economically delivers results in a single day.
The collaboration will leverage Thermo Fisher’s technology, including the only globally distributable NGS CDx solution approved and reimbursed by government and commercial insurers in more than 15 countries, as well as the Ion Torrent Genexus System, the first fully-integrated NGS platform that delivers results economically in a single day
NGS-based companion diagnostics are increasingly used to match patients with new therapies for cancer and other diseases.
Thermo Fisher currently offers the only globally distributable NGS CDx solution approved and reimbursed by government and commercial insurers in more than 15 countries, including the U.S., multiple European nations, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East, and covering more than 550 million lives globally.
The company’s complete NGS workflow, powered by Ion AmpliSeq technology, includes multiple solutions for solid tumor biomarkers and liquid biopsy testing.
More than 90% of AstraZeneca’s clinical pipeline, across all main areas from oncology, cardiovascular and renal to metabolic and respiratory disease, are targeted precision medicine therapies.