HEALTH

Phoenix nonprofit TGen signs deal to expand cancer detection via blood test

Russ Wiles
Arizona Republic
The Translational Genomics Research Institute uses patients' genetic information to craft precision-medicine treatments.

Phoenix medical-research nonprofit TGen has licensed a blood-biopsy method to test for cancer to a for-profit public company in an effort to expand reach of the technology.

Exact Sciences Corp. of Madison, Wisconsin, acquired a worldwide exclusive license from the Translational Genomics Research Institute of Phoenix for use in oncology testing.

Financial terms of the agreement weren’t announced, but this is the largest licensing deal for TGen since its founding in 2002, said Tess Burleson, the nonprofit's chief operating officer.

TGen’s Targeted Digital Sequencing or TARDIS method involves DNA testing a patient’s blood as a noninvasive means of detecting tumors, especially for patients who have undergone initial treatment and might have only small amounts of tumor DNA in their blood.

TARDIS is a highly sensitive test and can be customized for each patient, the companies said, including patients with only trace tumor amounts remaining following surgery. Such small amounts can be difficult to detect through imaging.

Jeffrey Trent is president and research director at TGEN in Phoenix.

“Blood-based diagnostics are critical to the future of cancer care, and licensing TARDIS to an industry leader like Exact Sciences speaks volumes about its potential to positively impact the field,” said Jeffrey Trent, TGen’s president and research director, in a prepared statement.

“The scale and reach Exact Sciences brings to the market means greater access — and new hope — for patients faced with a cancer diagnosis," he said.

Researchers at TGen, an affiliate of the City of Hope, a research and treatment organization based in suburban Los Angeles, are focused on unraveling the genetic components of diseases including neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases.

This isn't the first deal involving Exact Sciences and Arizona entities. Last March, the company completed the acquisition of Paradigm Diagnostics and Viomics, two privately held companies based in Phoenix that, together, extended Exact Sciences' lab testing and research and development capabilities.

Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.