16 April 2019 – Genomics England has announced today the successful completion of the first phase of its collaboration with Inivata and Thermo Fisher Scientific. This is part of a pilot project, undertaken by Genomics England in collaboration with industry, to:

• assess the suitability of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) samples collected by the NHS during the 100,000 Genomes Project
• perform objective technology evaluation of the various market offerings in liquid biopsy
• generate evidence for the potential consideration of such technology implementation in future routine healthcare for better disease treatment or prevention

Inivata and Thermo Fisher Scientific analysed around 200 blood plasma samples, donated by participants of the 100,000 Genomes Project, for their suitability for Next Generation Sequencing-based testing. The analysis also served to further establish the capacity of Inivata’s liquid biopsy platform, InVision®, and Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Oncomine™ Pan-Cancer Cell-Free Assay to identify the presence of cancer.

The results of the study showed that the plasma samples collected were of a high quality and produced reliable results when analysed. These results were consistent across all cancer types.

The collection methods were shown to allow for ctDNA analysis, opening up a range of possibilities for the further analysis of banked samples using liquid biopsy technology such as those provided by Inivata and Thermo Fisher Scientific. This demonstrates the strong potential for liquid biopsy to improve cancer management and outcomes for UK patients.

These results, and those from the two subsequent phases, will be shared with researchers in the UK and around the world providing additional multiomic data to members of the Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership (GeCIP) and Discovery Forum.

The second phase of the study aims to generate data to form the basis of an objective technology assessment between pre-selected liquid biopsy companies. This will inform future procurement and research strategies to improve patient outcomes. The final phase will be a proof of concept longitudinal ctDNA sample study. This will help develop less invasive sample collection techniques, more effective monitoring processes, and ultimately better cancer care.

Clive Morris, Chief Executive Officer at Inivata, said: “We are delighted to be working with Genomics England, and to see the progress being made with this collaborative study. The successful end of this initial phase demonstrates the quality of the sample collection from all sites and will enable the exploration of a number of ways of providing further insights to patients. Inivata and Genomics England share a commitment to delivering innovations to UK patients, unlocking exciting new treatment options and improving patient care.”

Joydeep Goswami, President of Clinical Next Generation Sequencing and Oncology for Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: “The application of liquid biopsy to better understand cancer holds great promise as a less-invasive and potential early detection approach for the future of patient care. The successful completion of phase one of this program, enabled by the leadership and support from Jacqui Shaw’s lab at the University of Leicester, corroborates the potential of this approach. We look forward to the next steps in our ongoing collaboration with Genomics England.”

Mark Caulfield, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Genomics England, said: “Our priority at Genomics England is to improve patient outcomes. The potential that liquid biopsies represent for earlier diagnosis and tracking of cancer is well documented, but nonetheless remains very exciting. There is still much to do to establish clinical utility and suitability of the technology. As we continue to carry out this work, we keep in mind what this means for patients – significantly less invasive procedures, and the potential to detect cancers much earlier and treat them much more effectively.”

Joanne Hackett, Chief Commercial Officer at Genomics England, said: “Exploring new and developing technologies is central to our mission at Genomics England. If we are to keep the UK a world leader in the delivery of genomic medicine, it is going to be through collaborations such as this with leading technology companies. The results of the first phase of our liquid biopsy trials are very encouraging, and we look forward to further rigorous testing through phase two.”