Collaboration to yield quicker data on patients’ genomes, helping advance personalized treatment for children and teens battling recurrent cancer

Orange, Calif. – August 14, 2012 – As part of a pilot study designed to advance personalized treatment for children and teens battling recurrent cancer, the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s is the first organization to utilize Illumina’s RapidTrack Whole Genome Sequencing (RapidTrack WGS) service for cancer samples. RapidTrack WGS will enable the study to gather whole genome sequencing data in high depth within 14 days, which is the fastest sample-to-data turnaround time currently offered as a service. The data generated by Illumina will then by analyzed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), another valued partner of the Hyundai Cancer Institute, to provide efficient customized interpretation to the CHOC physicians and researchers, who are part of the hospital’s Molecular Profiling Tumor Board.

Highlighting the project’s impact on patients and their families, the Hyundai Cancer Institute’s Medical Director and principal investigator of the study, Leonard Sender, M.D., says, “We want to be a game changer for patients and their families who are faced with the scary diagnosis of recurrent cancer. Eighty percent of pediatric cancers are cured, which is wonderful, but we can’t forget about the 20 percent who aren’t. That vulnerable group is the focus of our efforts, and we are dedicated to providing them with answers and effective treatment as quickly as possible!”

He adds, “We are grateful to our partners, and to Hyundai Motor America and its US dealers, whose grants provided through Hyundai Hope on Wheels® have funded this life-saving research. The ability to rapidly translate samples to data in the lab will have an immediate bedside impact by offering more accurate diagnoses and personalized treatments that save children’s lives.”

According to Dr. Sender, 12 patients are currently enrolled in the study, which underscores the value of whole genomics sequencing as a diagnostic tool to help physicians decide the best course of treatment as quickly as is possible.

For more information, please visit http://www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org

Contact

Zafar Brooks
Hyundai Motor America
Cell: (714) 334-1766
[email protected]

Joe Foster
Finn Partners
Cell: (323) 572-5361
[email protected]