LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Response Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:RGDX), a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests that help determine a patient's response to cancer therapy, today announced that it has been awarded a multi-million dollar research subcontract to support the Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trials (ALCHEMIST). ALCHEMIST consists of 3 integrated precision medicine trials that are being implemented through the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) - a screening trial and two associated treatment trials.
The research subcontract was awarded by Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., the operations and technical support contractor for the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, which is sponsored by NCI.
ALCHEMIST will involve screening thousands of patients with resected early-stage lung cancer over a 5 to 6 year period in order to identify those patients with two specific gene changes: EGFR gene mutations and ALK gene rearrangement. Other goals of ALCHEMIST include defining biologic and molecular progression of early-stage lung cancer, evaluating two promising therapies in the adjuvant setting, and providing a public resource in which the genomic characterization of patients' tumors is tied to detailed clinical annotation, epidemiology data, and long-term outcome data. ALCHEMIST was launched today and additional information on the trials, including the NCI's announcement, can be found at: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/newsfromnci/2014/ALCHEMISTlaunch/?cid=EBalchemistrgi_pr
"We are excited to support the ALCHEMIST clinical research effort. Response Genetics has long been known for its deep expertise in molecular testing of lung cancers. To be a part of such a large initiative aimed to advance molecular profiling is a validation of our commitment to provide the highest quality molecular diagnostics delivered with best-in-class turnaround time," noted Response Genetics' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas A. Bologna. "Moreover, ALCHEMIST represents our continuing commitment to research that connects molecular features with therapy response prediction, a tradition that has been a hallmark of Response Genetics since its inception."
Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and co-Principal Investigator for the ALCHEMIST screening trial added, "As an organization with a focus on lung cancer genomics and an interest in facilitating clinical research, Response Genetics is a good choice to perform the central genotyping for ALCHEMIST. The Response Genetics team has been an asset on another lung cancer trial I lead which studies inherited EGFR mutation, and I am confident they will add value to this important program."
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal Funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, under Contract No. HHSN261200800001E. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
About Response Genetics, Inc.
Response Genetics, Inc. (the "Company") is a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic testing services for cancer. The Company's technologies enable extraction and analysis of genetic information derived from tumor cells stored as formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens. The Company's principal customers include oncologists and pathologists. In addition to diagnostic testing services, the Company generates revenue from the sale of its proprietary analytical pharmacogenomic testing services of clinical trial specimens to the pharmaceutical industry. The Company's headquarters is located in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit www.responsegenetics.com.
National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/?cid=EBalchemistrgi_hp
NCI news release: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/newsfromnci/2014/ALCHEMISTlaunch/?cid=EBalchemistrgi_pr
Forward-Looking Statement Notice
Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release and the statements of representatives of the Company related thereto contain or may contain, among other things, certain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Company's plans, objectives, projections, expectations and intentions, such as the ability of the Company, to provide clinical testing services to the medical community, to continue to strengthen and expand its sales force, to continue to build its digital pathology initiative, to attract and retain qualified management, to continue to strengthen marketing capabilities, to expand the suite of ResponseDX® products, to continue to provide clinical trial support to pharmaceutical clients, to enter into new collaborations with pharmaceutical clients, to enter into areas of companion diagnostics, to continue to execute on its business strategy and operations, to continue to analyze cancer samples and the potential for using the results of this research to develop diagnostic tests for cancer, the usefulness of genetic information to tailor treatment to patients, and other statements identified by words such as "project," "may," "could," "would," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan" or similar expressions.
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