Thermo Fisher, AstraZeneca to Develop NGS-Based Targeted Therapies

Thermo Fisher Scientific and AstraZeneca recently entered into a global, multiyear partnership to co-develop next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based companion diagnostics (CDx) for targeted therapies. 

Over 90 percent of AstraZeneca’s pipeline includes drugs that target precision medicine therapies. The partnership will support AstraZeneca’s expanding portfolio across all areas, from oncology to cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory diseases.

“As the pipeline of targeted therapies expands, the availability of diagnostic tools that can interrogate multiple biomarkers simultaneously will ensure patients can be matched with the right therapies more rapidly — this is the promise of precision medicine,” Garret Hampton, president of clinical next-generation sequencing and oncology at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said in the announcement. 

“Introduction of diagnostic tools early in the process of drug development can further facilitate the success of companion diagnostic development,” Hampton continued. 

NGS-based CDx is used to match patients with new therapies for cancer and other diseases. 

Thermo Fisher currently offers the only globally distributable NGS CDx solution approved in over 15 countries, including the US, multiple EU nations, Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East.

In 2019, the company launched the Ion Torrent Genexus System, the first fully integrated NGS platform featuring an automated specimen-to-report workflow that delivers results in one day.

The complete NGS workflow includes multiple solutions for solid tumor biomarkers and liquid biopsy testing.

And in June 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific launched the Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Insight Research Assay to improve surveillance and identify new and known COVID-19 variants from samples with lower viral loads.

The panel leverages sensitive NGS, allowing researchers to obtain epidemiological insights with rapid turn-around time, workflow automation, seamless informatics, and data uploading to public SARS-CoV-2 data repositories. 

“Using the latest diagnostic science allows us to match the best treatment to the patient,” Ruth March, senior vice president of precision medicine and biosamples at AstraZeneca, said in the recent announcement. 

“This collaboration with Thermo Fisher offers the technology, expertise and ability to decentralize CDx tests to local healthcare providers across our global markets, which will help us identify more patients around the world who may benefit from treatments and effective patient care,” March concluded.