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Tuesday, March 09, 2021

AHN Cancer Institute Opens Genomics Facility Offering Patients Next Generation Gene Sequencing

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Institute has opened a new Clinical Genomics Laboratory at AHN’s 1307 Federal Street office complex on Pittsburgh’s North Side, offering comprehensive, advanced, in-house genomic testing that guides doctors in selecting treatments to give cancer patients their best chance at a good outcome.

The Clinical Genomics Laboratory will provide next-generation gene sequencing based on blood or tumor samples from patients with metastatic (late-stage) cancer, and a variety of common early-stage cancers including breast, colon and lung cancer.  Genomic testing can provide information on what treatments will be most effective for each individual patient, as well as provide insight into a patient’s prognosis and response to therapy.

“The advent of genomic testing and targeted therapies over the past several years has changed the face of cancer treatment,” said David Bartlett, MD, chair, AHN Cancer Institute. “By matching treatments to an individual cancer’s genetic fingerprint, we can help patients more effectively and even extend the lifespans of patients with advanced cancers.

“The practice of precision medicine – evidence-based, individualized medicine that allows us to deliver the right care at the right time to our patients – is shown not only to improve patient outcomes but also reduce health care costs by eliminating unnecessary and ineffective treatments,” Dr. Bartlett said.

“We believe that offering on-site genomic testing, as opposed to sending samples to an out-of-state lab, offers a number of advantages to our patients, including a quicker turnaround time  an important advantage for patients who are eager to begin treatment – and better stewardship of our patients’ samples,” Dr. Bartlett said.

The growth of cancer cells is fueled by genetic abnormalities, such as malfunction of genes that prevent cancer, or that spark the growth of cancer cells. Genomic testing reveals the “fingerprint” of these cells, so that doctors can identify exactly which cells aren’t working properly – and select a treatment that addresses that glitch.

The gene’s expression – how it dictates the making of a protein molecule – can also reveal whether a particular treatment will not be effective, or even provide a look at a patient’s prognosis.

The first test launched is a comprehensive AHN Pan-Cancer Panel, the first of its kind in the region, that interrogates 523 cancer-relevant genes including structural rearrangements and tumor mutation burden. Next in the pipeline is the development of a high sensitivity, blood-based assay optimized to follow the response of individual patients during therapy and post-treatment surveillance.

The Clinical Genomics Laboratory is part of the larger AHN-Highmark Precision Medicine Initiative that includes a Translational Research Laboratory and Genomics Repository within the Genomics Facility complex and works directly with the Highmark Health Genomics Helix and Data Science teams. These teams are working to develop cutting-edge molecular testing for individualized diagnosis and testing of each patient, for monitoring tumor response after treatment and for identifying new diagnostic biomarkers and potential new targets for pharmacological, immunological, radiological and genomic therapies.

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