Product News: Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches Ion Torrent AmpliSeq RNA Fusion Lung Cancer Research Panel

Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that it has released a next-generation sequencing (NGS) RNA panel and workflow that enables targeted sequencing of fusion transcripts for clinical research. The new Ion Torrent AmpliSeq RNA Fusion Lung Cancer Research Panel allows simultaneous sequencing of 70 ALK, RET, ROS1, and NTRK1 fusion transcripts associated with lung cancer as well as 5’ and 3’ ALK gene expression. The panel was verified by leading clinical researchers from the OncoNetwork Consortium spanning 10 different countries around the globe and years of experience in adopting NGS technologies to pioneer colon and lung cancer research.

Based on Ion Torrent AmpliSeq technology, the NGS fusion detection workflow was designed for simplicity of use and high performance using as little as 10ng of FFPE derived RNA. With the increasing importance of genetic translocations in oncology, the Ion Torrent AmpliSeq RNA Fusion Lung Cancer Research Panel can be used in conjunction with the Ion Torrent AmpliSeq Colon and Lung Cancer Research Panel v2 to obtain a complete view of mutations from even the most limiting lung tissue FFPE samples and fine needle aspirates.

“With these two panels, we finally have a tool to evaluate the main mutations involved in lung cancer starting from a single archived tumor sample with limited amount of material,” said Nicola Normanno, M.D., Chief of the Laboratory Of Pharmacogenomics at the Centro Ricerche Oncologiche in Mercogliano, Avellino, Italy.

The overall approach reduces the cost and risk of sample consumption associated with performing multiple sequential tests as well as the laboratory complexity associated with alternative fusion detection methods such as FISH. The targeted sequencing approach demonstrates high concordance with traditional fusion detection methods, including FISH, ICH, and qPCR. By focusing the sequencing on the fusion junctions, it increases the depth of sequencing on informative regions, enabling higher sensitivity of detection. Integrated with Ion Reporter Software, the application includes easy-to-use fusion reporting and visualization tools for fusion classification.

“The introduction of the Ion Torrent AmpliSeq RNA Fusion Lung Cancer Research Panel is representative of our commitment to bring new and innovative applications to the oncology community to advance clinical and translational research,” said Mark Stevenson, president of Life Sciences Solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific.