Strand Life Sciences to launch expanded StrandAdvantage pan-cancer genomic profiling service at ASCO 2015

Strand Life Sciences, a global genomic profiling company that uses next generation sequencing technology to empower cancer care, today announced it will introduce its expanded StrandAdvantage pan-cancer genomic profiling service later this month at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. The new version of StrandAdvantage will include a panel that examines 152 genes -- all genes and pathways known to be impacted by existing targeted cancer therapies plus additional chemotherapeutic toxicity and resistance data.

StrandAdvantage was designed to accelerate the analysis of therapeutically actionable cancer genes and match them to relevant FDA-approved targeted cancer therapies and open clinical trials without the need for multiple tests. The service provides oncologists with clinically actionable results beginning with a report on eight "standard-of-care" genes delivered to the oncologist within eight days. A full report is provided within 15 days that covers all major gene variants and pathways known to be impacted by existing targeted therapies.

"With the number of targeted therapy options growing every day, oncologists need a better understanding of the specific genomic changes in the patient's tumor to select the best treatment," said Dr. Raj Rajendra, an oncologist at the Spokane Valley Cancer Center. "Because patients do not want to wait to begin treatment, physicians need comprehensive results that enable them to develop a personalized treatment plan as quickly as possible."

"Oncologists who still use single gene tests increasingly find them limited and want greater depth of information about patients' tumors, which next-generation sequencing provides," added Dr. Karel Dicke of the Arlington Cancer Center. "There's also a growing concern that using single gene tests can delay the start of treatment, particularly if additional tests need to be ordered."

Scott A. Storrer, global president of Strand Life Sciences, said, "With this expanded panel of genes, StrandAdvantage will provide physicians with even more information about their patients' solid tumors and help in guiding first-line therapy decisions. Our genomic profiling service enables the patient to start treatment in days instead of weeks, by quickly providing relevant, clinically actionable results. The full StrandAdvantage report provides an unmatched depth of analysis that includes cancer subtype as well as tissue type."

The company will host a presentation at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting entitled "StrandAdvantage: Fast, Actionable & Relevant Treatment Options for Cancer Patients", at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, at an Industry Expert Theater, located in the back of the Oncology Professionals Hall.