News & Topics

Mar 27, 2012

The contribution of genetic testing to anti-cancer treatment:
Announcement of research results at
American Association for Cancer Research

ARKRAY, Inc. (Headquarters: Kyoto City, Nakagyo-ku), a manufacturer of clinical test devices and in vitro diagnostic reagents is due to announce results of its research into genetic testing for anti-cancer drugs at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 held in Chicago between 31 March and 4 April. Results of research into genetic testing relating to anti-cancer drug efficacy and associated side effects, conducted using the fully automatic SNP test device, the i-densy™ IS-5310 will be announced. The i-densy™ IS-5310 is used to detect SNPs and mutations in human genes.

ARKRAY released the i-densy™ IS-5310, a fully automatic SNP analyzer used to detect SNPs and mutations in human genes, in 2009. This instrument is currently used to support work carried out at reasearch facilities around Japan. Results relating to genetic testing for anti-cancer drug treatment obtained since then will be announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. With testing of solid tumors, a biopsy of the cancer from the subject is usually required which is both risky and difficult to schedule. It is well known though that cancer tissue genes can be found in the blood. However, since only a small amount of cancer tissue DNA is found in the blood it has been difficult to detect genetic mutations from it. ARKRAY’s technology has highlighted the possibility of mutation detection from blood. We believe that genetic mutations of solid tumors will become possible from simple blood draws as research moves forward.

ARKRAY is committed to the genetic field and to contributing to both the medical field and wider society.

Details of announcement

1. It typically takes many hours for even an experienced technician to measure genetic sequences (SNPs) for the identification of anti-cancer drug efficacy and other purposes, so there is demand for both simple and rapid testing. The i-densy™ IS-5310 allows for the automatic and rapid detection of SNPs associated with the lung cancer drug Erlotinib.

2. The resistance to the lung cancer drugs Gefitinib and Erlotinib is known to occur in many cases after the first year of treatment. It is also known that in about 50% of cases, this is caused by a mutation in the EGFR gene. Since taking a biopsy of the cancer tissue itself is considered risky, there is strong demand for a less invasive testing method. ARKRAY intends to announce measurement results using blood from Gefitinib and Erlotinib-resistant patients and the i-densy™ IS-5310 for the purpose of detecting mutations in the EGFR gene.

Details of American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

Name

AACR annual meeting 2012

Date

31 March (Sat.)- 4 April (Wed.) 2012

Location

McCormick Place, Chicago

Facts from 2011

Participants: 17,000 (Doctors, researchers, companies and govenment agencies). Number of participating companies: 456

History

Founded in 1907 by 11 doctors and scientists to ’spread knowledge and research about cancer’. AACR continues to promote cancer prevention and treatment through research and education.

URL

http://www.aacr.org/

Overview of i-densy™ IS-5310

By identifying genotypes, drug and dosing selections can be made that take into account the individual patient’s condition and constitution. This then allows accelerated research into personalized medicine with fewer side-effects from treatment.
Previously genetic testing prior to treatment was a complicated process requiring a high degree of specialized training and a long wait for the results. With the i-densy™ IS-5310, the whole process from DNA extraction from biological samples such as blood, gene amplification through to determination of results is automated within a single device. Testing that previously took days, now takes just 80 minutes (approximately).
The i-densy™ IS-5310 allows for swift decision making for treatment and reduces the strain on the patient whilst contributing to reductions in medical fees.