First Comprehensive DLBCL Gene Panel Launched by Diagnovus

Diagnovus is excited to announe the ENGAUGE™-cancer DLBCL Gene Panel, the first commercially available genomic profile to aid physicians in tailoring treatment specifically for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The assay is being introduced at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting Dec. 7–10, 2013, in New Orleans.

The ENGAUGE™-cancer DLBCL Gene Panel is a multiplexed, next-generation sequencing (NGS)- based assay for detecting genomic alterations across numerous “hotspots” in a patient’s DLBCL cancer genome. The panel, which interrogates 17 somatically altered genes, can be performed in a highly reproducible and accurate manner using routinely available formalin-fixed, paraffin- embedded (FFPE) diagnostic biopsy tissue.

The current standard of care for the treatment of most cases of DLBCL is the R-CHOP regimen, consisting of multi-agent chemotherapy plus a therapeutic antibody directed against CD20, a marker of B-lymphocytes. Despite this treatment, however, DLBCL is still incurable in about 40 percent of cases.

“The ENGAUGE™-cancer DLBCL Gene Panel may help physicians design alternative treatments by identifying mutations in each patient’s tumor, which can help guide potential targeted therapies or clinical trials that may not be otherwise identified,” said Dr. Jeff Sharman, a hematologist oncologist at the Willamette Valley Cancer Institute in Eugene, Ore., and medical director of hematology research for The US Oncology Network. “Several of these genes have a functional role and are important drivers in the pathogenesis of DLBCL.”

“At Diagnovus, our goal is to provide a unique and integrated assessment of a patient’s risk for disease progression, recurrence and prognosis, as well as therapeutic prediction, aiding physicians in their treatment of patients with these challenging diseases,” said James Stover, Ph.D., president and co-founder of Diagnovus. “Our ENGAUGE™-cancer DLBCL Gene Panel is the second-generation assay for our ENGAUGE™-cancer portfolio for lymphoma and represents a major step forward in the management of patients with DLBCL.”