Oncospire Genomics™: CGI’s Joint-Venture with Mayo Clinic
In May 2013, CGI and Mayo Clinic agreed to form Oncospire Genomics™ (“Oncospire™”) as an equally owned joint venture.
Oncospire™ works to develop novel, next-generation sequencing (NGS) based diagnostic panels that provide clinically relevant and actionable insights in areas of critical need in oncology. The joint-venture is currently offering an NGS panel for multiple myeloma, the M3P Mutational Panel, for biopharma clients and is also in the process of developing an NGS panel for lung cancer.
MULTIPLE MYELOMA There are approximately 200,000 new cases of multiple myeloma diagnosed annually, and no comprehensive genomic panel that can be utilized to predict early transformation from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (“MGUS”) to multiple myeloma. Currently available tests are expensive, invasive, and often require multiple biopsies. Oncospire™ has launched a comprehensive NGS-based panel for multiple myeloma, the M3P Mutational Panel, developed to provide greater certainty and reduce complexity of diagnosis as well as to provide earlier, more accurate, and cost-effective predictions of multiple myeloma.
LUNG CANCER With over 1.8 million new cases diagnosed annually, lung cancer is a category where earlier diagnosis and differentiation is critical to improved patient outcomes. To date, only a handful of biomarkers for lung cancer have been identified, and they do not fully address the need for diagnostic and predictive information.