Strand Life Sciences expands onco-genomic portfolio in India with the globally benchmarked 152-gene test

by Shrutee K/DNS

Bangalore, India : It is vital for oncologists to get clinically actionable and timely results to decide on treatment options for patients. Keeping this in mind, StrandAdvantage, a tumor genomic profiling test by Strand Life Sciences, was launched in India about a year ago. Since then, Strand’s interdisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, and bioinformaticians have made significant step-ups to the StrandAdvantage offering.  Strand Advantage 152 launched across India. During 2016, Strand made its new 152-gene test available to physicians across India for expanded tumor profiling, compared to the existing Tissue-Specific Tests for colon, lung, and breast cancers, and the 48-gene test for rare and aggressive cancers. 

StrandAdvantage 152 covers additional genes carefully chosen by a team of scientists, including those implicated in known cancer genetic pathways by the latest research and clinical investigations. The StrandAdvantage 152 report also matches any mutations identified in the test to information on global clinical drug trials and gives clinically actionable advice on the efficacy or toxicity of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy as an additional service to physicians and patients. 

The StrandAdvantage portfolio of tests available in India now includes:

StrandAdvantage Tissue-Specific Tests for identifying approved therapeutic options for colon, lung, and breast cancers.

StrandAdvantage 48-gene Test for identifying potential therapeutic options approved for other indications, as applicable to rare and aggressive cancers (multiple types), and cancers that have failed standard lines of treatment.

StrandAdvantage 152-gene Test for identifying potential therapeutic options approved for other indications as well as in clinical trials, and covering a larger gamut of genes and mutation types, including genes relevant to the toxicity of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

StrandAdvantage 152 benchmarked alongside global genomic profiling tests 

Earlier this year, in a comparative study published by the CHI Institute for Research and Innovation, Center for Translational Research, a part of Catholic Health Initiatives, a large network of hospitals in the US, StrandAdvantage 152 performed equally well or better compared to the best tests available globally, including FoundationOne (315 genes) offered by Foundation Medicine, CANCP (50 genes) offered by Mayo Medical Laboratories at Mayo Clinic, and GeneTrails (37 genes) by Knight Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon Health and Science University, in all categories barring recommendations for drugs in very early stage clinical trials, which have since been included. The full text of the comparative study can be accessed here.

 “The CHI study showed that across the ten solid tumor samples sent to all four test providers, StrandAdvantage 152 reports compared with the best in the world, and in some cases, provided even more precise assessment of genomic variants” said Dr. Ramesh Hariharan, Chief Executive Officer, Strand Life Sciences.

Strand’s NGS-based genomic profiling service provides a comprehensive view of genomic changes in an easy-to-read report enabling oncologists to make optimized treatment decisions. IHC (Immunohistochemistry) and FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) based results for relevant biomarkers and genes are also provided as part of the StrandAdvantage Tissue-Specific Test within 10 days from submitting a sample. Many IHC markers that have been added are novel and unique to StrandAdvantage. For example, PD-L1, an IHC marker, is a vital marker used for treatment planning of immunotherapy. 

Building on the already accredited StrandAdvantage 48-gene Test, Strand has been working actively on attaining CAP and NABL accreditation for StrandAdvantage 152 in alignment with its strategy and quality commitment towards the physician and patient community. 

About Strand Life Sciences Private Limited: Strand Life Sciences is a global genomic profiling & bioinformatics company focusing on the use of precision medicine diagnostics aimed at cancer care and inherited diseases. Strand works with physicians and hospitals to enable faster clinical decision support for accurate molecular diagnosis, prognosis, therapy recommendations, and clinical trials. The Strand Center for Genomics & Personalized Medicine is a CAP & NABL accredited NGS laboratory. For more details, visit: www.strandls.com