Cergentis, a genomics company that develops and commercialises kits and services based on its proprietary Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) technology, announced the launch of TLA for complete cancer gene sequencing and reported superior data over conventional diagnostic and gene sequencing techniques in FFPE tumour samples. The data were presented at the recent Genomics Live Conference in Basel, Switzerland.
TLA uniquely enables targeted and complete sequencing of genes of interest as well as the detection of all single nucleotide and structural variants. The technology relies on DNA crosslinking and the physical proximity of DNA sequences as the basis of selection so confers essential advantages in FFPE tumour samples.
Recent data generated from TLA sequencing of lymphoma cancer demonstrated a significant improvement over FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) and provided additional actionable information for clinicians. In addition, Cergentis presented preliminary data for lung, prostate and cervical cancers. TLA-based gene sequencing also enables the development of personalised circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) tests to monitor disease progression and response to therapy. Today the majority of pharma companies involved with the development and quality control of pharmaceutical cell lines and gene therapy products are using Cergentis’ TLA technology.
Prof. Dr. Bauke Ylstra, Head of the Tumour Genome Analysis Core of the Amsterdam University Medical Centre comments: “Conventional NGS technologies are, given the crosslinking and fragmenting of DNA in FFPE samples, inherently limited in their ability to sequence genes of interest. TLA is based on physical proximity by DNA crosslinking, which makes it an elegant and uniquely powerful approach to sequence genes of interest entirely with FFPE derived DNA samples.”
Dr. Stefan Willems MD, Head Molecular Pathology of University Medical Centre Utrecht adds: “We have been impressed by the quality of TLA data that we have generated on a significant number of clinical FFPE samples and see clear advantages over conventional techniques used in cancer diagnostics.”
About TLA
Current sequencing approaches miss a large portion of genetic variation and fail to identify a large share of structural variants. Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) is a conceptually unique and well-established method that enables targeted, cost-effective complete gene sequencing and the detection of all single nucleotide and structural variants. This technology can also be used for FFPE tumour biopsy samples.
About Cergentis
Cergentis, a privately held genomics company that develops and commercialises advanced TLA-based diagnostic kits for targeted complete next generation sequencing of genes, transgenes and gene editing events. The company also provides commercial services for leading research institutes and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. For more information visit www.cergentis.com
