DxS And Exiqon Diagnostics To Host A Joint Personalized Cancer Therapy Workshop During The ASCO Annual Meeting

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 28 May 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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DxS Ltd, a personalized medicine company and leader in the field of companion diagnostics is working in partnership with Exiqon Diagnostics, a company on the forefront of individualizing cancer care through its novel molecular and cell-based oncology clinical laboratory services, to present a timely and relevant workshop on personalized cancer therapy.

The workshop, which will take place on Friday, May 29, 2009 will coincide with the start of the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida, and is entitled 'Personalizing Cancer Therapy: KRAS and other Predictive Assays'.

Three high-profile speakers will discuss the value of predictive biomarkers in oncology - focusing on KRAS and EGFR - in terms of their place in the clinical sphere, the relationship to drug response, and the more practical application of the tests in a laboratory environment.

Dr. Axel Grothey (Professor of Oncology at Mayo Clinic) will chair the workshop and present a session on KRAS patient testing. Other speakers include Dr. Stanley Hamilton (Professor and Head Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) who will discuss the practical application of predictive biomarkers, and Dr. Alex Adjei (Chairman, Department of Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute) who will discuss mutations in the EGFR gene and response to anti-EGFR therapies.

The direct relevance of the workshop's subject matter to the field of cancer medicine has been highlighted by recent papers[1-3] and guidelines published this year by ASCO[4] that recommend that all patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who are considered for anti-EGFR antibody therapy should first have their tumor tested for K-RAS mutations in a CLIA-accredited laboratory. Dr Axel Grothey (Mayo Clinic) said, "KRAS testing has opened the door toward personalized medicine in colorectal cancer".

Workshop participants will become familiar with the methods and implications of KRAS mutation testing for the oncologist, pathologist and patient as well as mutations in other relevent genes including EGFR, BRAF and PI3K that can affect response to targeted therapies. Additonally, information will be presented on other predicitve assays based on: phenotyping, such as in vitro drug response assays (i.e., EDR® Assay offered by Exiqon Diagnostics) and genotyping (targeted molecular diagnostics assays), that are available for predicting response to both cytotoxic drugs and targeted therapies.

The program starts at 6:00 pm with a cheese and wine reception at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida and is free to attend. Space is limited. Registration for the workshop and further information can be found at www.kras-orlando2009.com.

References

1) Bokemeyer, C., Bondarenko, I., Makhson, A., Haartmann, JT. et al. (2009) - Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin With and Without Cetuximab in the First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 27(5):663-671

2) Van Cutsem, E., Köhne, CH., Hitre, E., Zaluski, J et al. (2009) Cetuximab and Chemotherapy as Initial Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. New Engl J Med 360(14):1408-1417

3) Jimeno, A., Messersmith, WA., Hirsch, FR., Franklin, WA.,Eckhardt, SG. (2009) - KRAS Mutations and Sensitivity to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors in Colorectal Cancer: Practical Application of Patient Selection. Journal of Clinical Oncology 27(7):1130-1136

4) Allegra, CJ., Jessup, M., Somerfield, MR., Hamilton, SR. et al. (2009) American Society of Clinical Oncology Provisional Clinical Opinion: Testing for KRAS Gene Mutations in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma to Predict Response to Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Monoclonal Antibody Therapy. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27 (12):2091-2096

Source
Exiqon

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