OGT Simplifies Detection of Important Cancer Gene Variants

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), The Molecular Genetics Company, has launched its SureSeq myPanel™ NGS Custom Cancer Panels to provide scientists with completely customised, pre-optimised next generation sequencing (NGS) probe panels relevant to their research.

The comprehensive library of gene content covers key cancer types including, myeloid, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), ovarian and breast. Utilising hybridisation-based capture, the panels deliver unparalleled coverage completeness and uniformity, and are regularly updated for maximum relevance to current research. The panels provide uniform coverage through all target regions including intronic and splice sites and reduce the need for fill-in Sanger sequencing.

The pace of cancer and clinical genetics research means that fixed content NGS panels are unable to truly reflect the latest knowledge on genes and variants of interest. This limitation can lead to significant wastage from the purchase of fixed probe panels in terms of cost, but also coverage of unwanted genes. In addition, amplicon-based panels often require further Sanger sequencing to fill in gaps in the data.

Providing a much simpler and cost-effective solution, the hybridisation-based SureSeq myPanel NGS Custom Cancer Panels are able to deliver complete and uniform coverage of genes of interest, including those with high GC content. Researchers can select probes only for the regions specific to their interest, and rest assured of data integrity. The smaller, highly customised and pre-optimised panels also enable higher throughput and require minimal time for validation. As new probes are added by OGT following consultation with experts, these panels can be replaced or added to at a much lower cost compared to fixed panels, ensuring the next step in research is unhindered.

Anna Skowronska, Research and Development Scientist at West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory who has been trialling a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) panel, commented “We were delighted with the performance of the SureSeq panel. It showed complete concordance with our other techniques, detecting all known mutations with excellent sensitivity down to 1%, including, in one case, a JAK2 V617F mutation which was not detected by ddPCR due to a second mutation under the primer. The panel also demonstrated mutations in other genes in samples with low level JAK2 V617F and good correlation between allele frequencies and quantitative analysis by ddPCR. We are planning to adopt the panel in the near future.”

David Cook, Senior Product Manager at OGT explained, “NGS is a powerful technology, but we saw that the range of panels on the market made it difficult for researchers to progress their work easily as new discoveries were made. Our SureSeq myPanel NGS Custom Cancer Panels enable researchers to simply pick and choose probes to match their specific requirements, and update the panel with new content, as needed. Our commitment to ongoing R&D means content will regularly be updated, and should specific areas of interest not yet be available, our customers can request this to be developed and receive a completely customised panel with pre-optimised probes in a matter of weeks.”

Dr Eli Williams, Associate Director of Genomics and Cytogenomics at the University of Virginia will present his experiences of utilising a custom SureSeq acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) panel at the Association of Molecular Pathology (AMP) meeting, 10–12 November.