ChromaCode Announces Landmark Peer-Reviewed Publication on Breakthrough HDPCR Assay for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

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Oct 05, 2023, 13:56 ET

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChromaCode, Inc., a pioneering genomics multiplexing platform company developing accessible and affordable solutions for laboratories, patients and physicians, is proud to announce the publication of the first peer-reviewed demonstration of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) variant detection using ChromaCode's groundbreaking High Definition PCR (HDPCR™) technology. The paper, titled "A rapid, multiplex digital PCR assay to detect gene variants and fusions in non-small cell lung cancer", is now available in the open-access journal Molecular Oncology (https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1878-0261.13523).

NSCLC is the most prevalent lung cancer subtype, and has a disheartening 5-year survival rate of only 25.4%, as reported by the National Cancer Institute. While targeted therapies have shown promising results in improving survival rates for NSCLC, less than 50% of patients receive timely testing for relevant mutations, impeding effective targeted treatment. Primary barriers include high costs, limited availability of local testing facilities, slow turnaround times, and inadequate or poor-quality tissue samples.

The publication outlines an HDPCR assay capable of detecting all National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommended NSCLC variants across nine genes, including single nucleotide variants, insertion-deletion mutations, and gene fusions. Leveraging ChromaCode's digital PCR chemistry and data processing methods, which encompass proprietary amplitude modulation, multi-spectral encoding and signal processing techniques, the assay delivers rapid results even with low sample input. Further, the method exhibits high concordance with Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based testing panels, while also providing results from samples that failed to sequence.

Jerrod Schwartz, Vice President of Advanced Technology at ChromaCode, expressed tremendous excitement regarding this inaugural experimental implementation of the company's technology for precise rare variant detection. "The results shed light on the vast potential of digital PCR in oncology," Schwartz stated. "Through this study, we not only showcased high concordance with NGS but also generated comprehensive results from challenging or low input samples that were previously unassailable using sequencing techniques."

Co-author Greg Tsongalis, Vice Chair for Research and Medical Director of Clinical Genomics and Advanced Technology (CGAT) at Dartmouth Health's Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, as well as Professor of Pathology at the Geisel School of Medicine, emphasized the significance of these findings. "These results endorse the viability of HDPCR-based assays for clinically important markers in NSCLC," Tsongalis noted. "Given its user-friendly nature, cost-effectiveness, and swift turnaround, this approach holds great promise in enhancing accessibility to testing, ultimately enabling more effective and targeted treatment for patients."

About ChromaCode

ChromaCode is an innovator in genomics multiplexing platform technology, driving integration from laboratories to physicians to patients, connecting them to the right treatment through its proven HDPCR™ multiplexing platform. HDPCR™ technology is a revolutionary approach allowing for deep multiplexing of NCCN clinically relevant biomarkers in a single, rapid, cost-effective assay for multiple sample types on standard laboratory dPCR platforms. This adaptable technology, deployed on ChromaCode's cloud-based analysis platform, enables laboratories worldwide to affordably conduct testing internally and produce high quality results with demonstrated high concordance with next generation sequencing (NGS) based testing, increasing accessibility of diagnostics in patient communities with a cost effective and scalable solution. For more information visit ChromaCode.com or on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact- ChromaCode

David Schull
Russo Partners
858-717-2310
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SOURCE ChromaCode, Inc.