News and Blog

Comprehensive Genetic Profiling Supplements Germline and Companion Diagnostic Results to Provide Holistic View for Oncologists and Patients

“It’s funny what a good hackathon can do,” remarked Ankita Parikh, Senior Software Engineer at PierianDx. “I woke up feeling sad because there were no more issues to resolve!” Ankita’s sentiment was matched by about 50 of her coworkers as they participated in the second annual PierianDx Hackathon. From April 22-25, over 50 PierianDx team members in Pune, India and St. Louis, Missouri set out to discover, conceptualize, and prototype solutions for our customers. Over the course of three days -- and several sleepless nights--developers, and other staff members self-organized in cross functional teams across different departments from both our offices, prioritized challenges, and promptly got to work.  

According to recent estimates, almost 80% of cancer patients (1,2) in the United States are diagnosed and treated in community cancer centers. With incredibly busy schedules, providers at these centers often struggle to offer to most up-to-date, cutting edge care.

ST. LOUIS, MO., March 2, 2021 — PierianDx, the global leader in clinical genomics knowledge, today announced the appointment of Lindsay Mateo as Chief Business Officer, effective immediately. In her new role, Ms. Mateo will reinforce the company’s position as the leading provider of clinical genomics solutions in the fight against cancer and hereditary disease. She will also head the company’s life sciences efforts, establishing key alliances with industry partners and biopharmaceutical companies that will ultimately provide broader access to genomic testing and precision medicine-based treatments for patients.

BALLETT Study will measure the impact of comprehensive genomic profiling on access to, and uptake of, personalized medicines and on clinical outcomes for patients

St. LOUIS, MO., February 4, 2021 — PierianDx, the global leader in clinical genomics knowledge, today announced a partnership with the Belgian Society of Medical Oncology (BSMO) to study the impact of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) on clinical outcomes of late-stage cancer patients. As part of the study, nine sites across Belgium will use the PierianDx interpretation and reporting solution, Clinical Genomics Workspace™ (CGW), to help determine the best therapeutic options for treatment.

Current approaches to precision medicine testing often mean that tests are outsourced to large international organizations or that they are run by independent regional labs, neither of which result in standardized clinical care systems or improved collective knowledge. In response to these challenges, the BSMO has established the BALLETT (Belgian Approach for Local Laboratory Extensive Tumor Testing) study to evaluate the impact of CGP.

CGP uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze hundreds of genes and biomarkers in tissue samples from biopsies or blood and detect those that are clinically relevant in driving cancer growth. Illumina will provide its CGP panel for tissue samples, TruSight™ Oncology 500 (TSO500), and NovaSeq™ 6000 and NextSeq™ sequencing platforms for the study. Clinical interpretation of the sequencing data will be carried out using the PierianDx Clinical Genomics Workspace™ (CGW) solution.

CGW provides a streamlined, standardized analysis platform in which EU drug approvals and guidelines are matched to complex genetic variants detected in patient tumor DNA and RNA, all within a GDPR-compliant environment. Using the platform, the nine participating Belgian laboratories can collaboratively review variant pathogenicity and clinical impact for their local samples while also benefiting from the knowledge of other clinical laboratory CGW users from around the world. At the same time, the nine Belgian laboratories will provide this standardized testing and analysis close to the patient’s home, where they receive cancer care, accelerating treatment initiation. As this study will also monitor the patient outcomes during and following treatment, a true indication of those longer-term clinical benefits will be derived.

Dr. Brigitte Maes of the Jessa Hospital in Belgium, Coordinator of BALLETT study said, “As part of Belgium’s broad approach to advancing precision medicine the study will generate valuable insights into the value of CGP versus currently reimbursed sequencing approaches. For example, in addition to genetic mutations that drive cancer formation, CGP will also identify cancers driven by the TMB biomarker which can guide patients towards immunotherapy treatments. This means that the study will give access to additional treatments which may not have been considered through more traditional diagnostic testing.”

“Dr. Rakesh Nagarajan, Founder of PierianDx states, “We are ecstatic to be part of this groundbreaking study. The CGW platform is in use by over 25 countries to share knowledge and facilitate better treatments and patient outcomes, and now the clinicians involved in this study will benefit from this collective knowledge while incorporating European-specific data sources, which are curated and maintained by PierianDx.” He adds, “Not only will this study measure the impacts of CGP but it will provide a justification, framework, and a blueprint for other clinical laboratories around the world that wish to implement similar initiatives.”


About PierianDx
Founded in 2014 out of Washington University in St. Louis, PierianDx is focused on advancing cancer diagnostics and making targeted therapeutics more accessible to healthcare systems, laboratories, and patients worldwide. Its industry-leading clinical genomics technologies, CAP and CLIA accredited laboratory, IVD-ready knowledgebase and reporting solution, and expertise deliver the most integrated, trusted, and collaborative approach across the clinical care spectrum. From genomic sequencing and biomedical informatics in the laboratory to reporting and decision support at the patient’s bedside, PierianDx drives the adoption of genomics in clinical care and accelerates the fight against somatic cancer and hereditary germline diseases. For more information visit www.pieriandx.com.

Media contact: info@pieriandx.com

Additional Illumina assays to be combined with the PierianDx platform to reduce time, cost, and complexity of genomic reporting 

Mark McDonough named as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and member of the Board of Directors of PierianDx 

Multiple targeted assays from Pillar Biosciences to be combined with the PierianDx platform to reduce time, cost, and complexity of clinical genomic testing

Comprehensive genomic profiling is emerging as a powerful tool in our arsenal to treat cancer. It’s easy to see why: with a minimal amount of sample, clinicians are able to identify all four types of genetic alterations across a large set of genes with known relevance to cancer. When you consider that up to 90% of patients who undergo comprehensive genomic profiling may have an actionable genetic alteration1-6 , you begin to understand how this new diagnostic tool can revolutionize cancer care.  

Next generation sequencing continues to gain traction as a standard of care as it becomes less complex and less costly. Targeted sequencing, in which only a subset of genes are enriched and amplified for sequencing, is especially cost effective. Clinicians are using the technique to more quickly provide answers to oncologists to ensure that patients actually get the right therapy. 

What is the one thing we must do if we are to give complex disease a run for its money? According to Rakesh Nagarajan, MD, PhD, Founder and Executive Chairman at PierianDx, we must amass and share patient data in a safe and compliant manner to answer complex questions more quickly. In this informational interview, Dr. Nagarajan sits down with VOL reporter, Daiva Sen, to discuss the importance of data sharing and other topics, including: 

• Universal healthcare systems and the importance of accessibility
• Genomic data sharing, regulation, and privacy
• Real-world evidence in managing patient care

To learn more, watch the video.

Precision medicine continues to gain traction, and increasingly, clinicians are turning to comprehensive genomic profiling to match the right drug to a patient using information about that patient’s genetic mutations.