Key findings on plasma cell disorders to be presented at American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

Caris Life Sciences, Inc., a leading biosciences company focused on enabling precise and personalized healthcare through the highest quality anatomic pathology, molecular profiling, and blood-based diagnostic services, announced that Dr. Raul Braylan, Hematopathologist and Clinical Medical Director of Hematopathology Services, will present key findings related to plasma cell disorders at the upcoming 52^nd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Braylan will present data validating the clinical utility of Caris' approach to flow cytometric analysis in the routine diagnostic evaluation of patients with plasma cell disorders, such as multiple myeloma.

The recent findings confirm that incorporating flow cytometric analysis of bone marrow specimens for abnormal plasma cells, followed by enriched fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, more effectively detects plasma cell disorders. Plasma cells are antibody-producing lymphoid cells that can develop a variety of plasma cell disorders and may become cancerous.

"The data support the value of Caris' routine incorporation of flow cytometric analysis together with enriched FISH analysis in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of patients with suspected plasma cell disorders, even in cases with a low number of plasma cells," Dr. Braylan said. "Incorporating flow cytometry allows us to detect abnormalities earlier in the diagnostic process and provides valuable prognostic information to the clinician."

Dr. Braylan and his colleagues studied bone marrow specimens sent to Caris Life Sciences from 158 patients who had clinical or laboratory evidence of a plasma cell disorder. The goal was to assess if flow cytometry would detect abnormalities in plasma cell populations found to be genetically abnormal by enriched FISH analysis, which could allow hematopathologists to provide important diagnostic information to physicians more quickly. The technique found abnormal plasma cell populations in the majority (>90%) of cases demonstrating the clinical utility of this technique. This study furthers previous research conducted by Caris Life Sciences on enrichment techniques to detect plasma cell disorders.

"In addition to providing industry-leading diagnostic pathology, Caris Life Sciences is dedicated to engaging the scientific community by furthering research across a broad array of specialties, including hematology," said Dr. Richard Lash, Caris Life Sciences' Head Pathologist and Chief Medical Officer. "Dr. Braylan's research demonstrates how optimizing our techniques can significantly enhance our ability to diagnose plasma cell disorders, despite the rarity of the abnormal cells, and provide physicians valuable and timely information to support patient care."

Dr. Braylan is recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on flow cytometry in hematolymphoid neoplasia, and he is credited with establishing standardization in flow cytometry clinical utility, data analysis and reporting through his work on both the U.S. and Canadian Consensus Recommendations and the 2006 Bethesda International Conference Recommendations for flow cytometric immunophenotyping.

The abstract of Dr. Braylan's poster, which will be presented Saturday, December 4, at the 2010 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL, can be found on the ASH website.