Pathway Genomics Announces Partnership with PROMPT Patient Registry to Advance Hereditary Cancer Research
SAN DIEGO, CA – November 17, 2014 – Pathway Genomics Corporation, a San Diego-based CLIA and CAP accredited clinical laboratory that offers genetic testing services globally, announced today that it has partnered with the Prospective Registry of Multiplex Testing (PROMPT), an online registry for patients who have undergone testing for cancer-causing genetic mutations. PROMPT is a recently formed consortium of physicians and scientists at academic centers across the nation, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
"We are honored to collaborate with the country's leading cancer experts to help advance the understanding of cancer risk, the genes associated with it, and take steps to end preventable hereditary cancers," said David Becker, Ph.D., Pathway Genomics' chief scientific officer.
The goal of the registry is to provide vital data needed to better understand the level of risk associated with and outcomes following testing for "panels" of cancer-associated genes. Key milestones were reached this summer, with the completion of the patient online portal in July and ethical approval in August to begin to patient enrollment on the first phase of the study.
"The PROMPT team welcomes Pathway Genomics to the group seeking to improve our understanding of mutations in genes other than BRCA1 and BRCA2. It is by collaborative efforts such as this that we will make progress in this exciting area," said PROMPT co-founder Mark Robson, M.D., clinic director of clinical genetics service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
The first phase of the project is to create a cohort of individuals and families who have consented to participate in studies examining cancer-causing genetic mutations. Pathway Genomics is one of several laboratories that will provide information about the PROMPT registry site to patients and health care providers receiving panel test results.
The first phase of the study received Institutional Review Board approval in mid-August, with accrual of participants in September. The second phase of the study will collect more clinical details, assess outcomes, and characterize individual gene variants in families.
Individuals will be able to gain access to the PROMPT site in several ways, including crowd sourcing, web browsing, and also direct referral from participating commercial testing labs. Information about the project is at www.promptstudy.org. Senior researchers at the National Cancer Institute will participate in scientific design and data analysis.
About Pathway Genomics Corporation
As a CLIA and CAP accredited clinical laboratory based in San Diego, California, Pathway Genomics provides physicians and their patients with actionable and accurate genetic information to improve or maintain health and wellness. Since its founding in 2008, Pathway Genomics has become known for its dedication to innovation and commitment to medical responsibility – making it a leader in the commercial genetic testing industry. Pathway Genomics' testing services cover a variety of conditions including cancer risk, cardiac health, inherited diseases, nutrition and exercise response, as well as drug response for specific medications including those used in pain management and mental health. For more about Pathway Genomics, visit www.pathway.com.
About the Prospective Registry of Multiplex Testing (PROMPT)
The PROMPT registry is a database that includes patients identified with deleterious or suspected deleterious mutations in any of the cancer susceptibility genes targeted in this research study. Individuals will be offered the opportunity to join the registry by participating in a process of informed consent. The study's Principal Investigators are Mark Robson, M.D., of the Clinical Genetics Service at MSKCC; Susan Domchek, M.D., of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania; Fergus Couch, Ph.D., of the Division of Experimental Pathology, Mayo Clinic and Kenneth Offit, M.D., MPH, chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at MSKCC. Learn more about PROMPT at www.promptstudy.org.