Swedish hospital evaluating pyrosequencing platform

For certain cancers, such as cancer of the breast, colon or lungs, an over expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor leads to uncontrolled proliferation of the tumour cells. Relatively new treatments use therapeutic agents called tyrosine kinase inhibitors to target the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The drugs act by binding to the EGFR to prevent the receptor from receiving the signal to keep growing. This prevents the cancer from progressing, and it can also prevent the tumour from spreading to other parts of the body. However, mutations in the k-ras​ gene create an over-expressed protein product that causes the cancer cells to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner, regardless of whether the EGF receptor has been blocked, making patients with this mutation unresponsive to EGFR treatment. Biotage's new PyroMark Q24 pyrosequencing platform should allow doctors at Uppsala University Hospital to detect these mutations to determine how a patient will respond to the EGFR treatment. The assay determines multi-variable mutations at codons 12 and 13 of the k-ras gene, and rare mutations in codon 61 of the gene. Patrick Micke from the department of pathology explains: "We have had good experience with the PyroMark system within a previous clinical research project. Therefore we were interested in extending the collaboration into clinical practice." "As a result we are able to provide the mutation analysis already today for clinicians. In the next month we will carefully test the system and, in cooperation with other pathology centres, compare it to other methods.​" Marianne Alksnis, a spokesperson for Biotage, is positive that Biotage's equipment will prove successful: "PyroMark Q24 is based on real-time sequencing, not hybridisation using probes. Using pyrosequencing technology, the target codons for K-RAS are sequenced, and therefore even rare mutations can be detected, and only one well (analysis) needs to be run (per patient)." "In addition, pyrosequencing generates quantitative sequence data, unlike probe based methods that only gives a yes or no answer​." The agreement may signal the start of many more clinical trials over the coming year. "The collaboration with Dr Micke and his team is one of several efforts that we expect to lead into further future product developments,​" says Torben Jørgensen, CEO & president of Biotage. Alksnis confirmed that the technology is currently being used by a group in Germany, although details could not be disclosed at this point.