Almac Article Details Breast Cancer Assay

The article entitled “Identification and Validation of an Anthracycline/Cyclophosphamide–Based Chemotherapy Response Assay in Breast Cancer” led by Almac’s medical director, professor Richard Kennedy, was recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). The article details the development and initial validation of a predictive gene signature for chemotherapy response in breast cancer.
 
Almac’s objective in the development of the assay was to provide a means of identifying breast cancer patients more likely to respond to standard of care chemotherapy treatment. The assay was developed by Almac in collaboration with Queens University, Belfast and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, U.S. Almac provided microarray analysis of patient samples and identified a molecular subgroup with a deficiency in DNA damage repair, termed DDRD for DNA Damage Repair Deficient. Almac then developed a 44 gene classifier capable of identifying this molecular group in patient tumor samples. The test has been developed and validated using formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue using Almac’s Breast Cancer DSA.
 
“The publication of this data represents a significant milestone for Almac as we transition this assay into the clinic. The publication of these results combined with our recent out-licensing of the assay to Genomic Health for use in breast cancer patients, highlights the quality of the science being carried out here in Almac,” said professor Paul Harkin, president and managing director of Almac’s Diagnostics business unit.