Turning precision medicine into clinical reality with automated NGS

Hi, I'm Kathy Davy. I'm the President of our Clinical Sequencing Division at Thermo Fisher.

For the question of whether genomics is still a specialty or if it's being brought to clinical labs everywhere, there's really a careful balance. While specialization is still important, we are now able to bring NGS to all clinical labs with full automation and end-to-end capabilities, allowing labs to bring answers to patients locally. We at Thermo Fisher believe this is really important and critical to future cancer care.

Automation and AI both play a critical role in NGS in the clinical lab today. We have focused a lot of our attention on full automation and the importance of automation in bringing answers locally to both clinicians and patients, allowing them to get onto cancer treatments faster.

The future of genomics and the balance between simplifying the workflow and advancing the science is a really great question. In terms of simplifying the workflow, we believe it is absolutely critical in order to enable access to any lab that wants to run NGS testing. You must have a simple workflow where the technology enables all technicians in the laboratory to run that testing.

However, we also have to continue to innovate. New biomarkers become relevant, the science continues to evolve, and we must stay on top of all the changes happening in our understanding of cancer. Really, we need to both simplify and innovate, and blend those two things together.

In five years' time, all patients with an actionable mutation are going to have access to precision medicine. The reason for that is products like Genexus, which allow full automation and bring testing into laboratories that couldn't otherwise deliver those answers. This enables localisation and helps make precision medicine accessible anywhere, in any clinical lab.

How is Thermo Fisher Scientific using automation and AI in NGS to expand access to clinical genomic testing?

Automation and AI in Thermo Fisher Scientific’s next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows enable clinical laboratories to deliver local genomic testing. By focusing on full automation and end-to-end capabilities, labs can provide faster answers to clinicians and patients, helping them start cancer treatments sooner and making genomic testing more accessible beyond specialized centers.

What role does the Genexus System play in advancing precision medicine for patients with actionable mutations?

The Genexus™ System from Thermo Fisher Scientific enables fully automated, localized NGS testing in clinical laboratories that previously could not offer these services. By supporting end-to-end workflows, Genexus helps ensure that patients with actionable mutations can access precision medicine, regardless of where they receive care, moving toward a future where genomic-guided cancer treatment is available to every eligible patient.

How is Thermo Fisher Scientific balancing simplified NGS workflows with ongoing innovation in cancer genomics?

Thermo Fisher Scientific emphasizes that simplifying NGS workflows is essential so any clinical lab technician can run genomic tests. At the same time, the company continues to innovate as new cancer biomarkers emerge and scientific understanding evolves. By blending workflow simplification with scientific advancement, Thermo Fisher supports broader adoption of genomics while keeping pace with rapidly changing cancer research.