Illumina has entered a strategic partnership with Pillar Biosciences for the commercialisation of the latter’s oncology assay suite across the globe.
Pillar’s suite of oncology assays will become available as part of the Illumina oncology product portfolio and can be used on any sequencers of Illumina.
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Pillar Biosciences CEO Randy Pritchard said: “This agreement will facilitate seamless integration between Pillar Biosciences assays and Illumina sequencers, delivering a streamlined workflow and complementary product offerings and leading to faster turnaround times for patients.”
The assays help in identifying mutations that spur tumour growth, which in turn helps oncologists and researchers to take better decisions regarding cancer treatment.
Given that clinicians gain an understanding of the genomic landscape of the tumour, they will be able to customise treatment options, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, to precisely meet the requirements of each patient.
Illumina plans to begin the commercial distribution of Pillar’s assays this month. The availability of the assays will vary depending on the region.
Illumina chief medical officer Phil Febbo said: “By leveraging Pillar’s targeted sequencing technology alongside Illumina’s state-of-the-art sequencing and bioinformatics solutions, we will enable rapid and focused genomic profiling of tumours, which is essential to facilitate personalised therapy in healthcare systems across the globe.”
In March this year, Illumina and GenoScreen launched a new package, which brings together products from Illumina with the GenoScreen Deeplex Myc-TB assay, a next-generation sequencing-based test for tuberculosis.
