SAN DIEGO– Arima Genomics, Inc., a company leveraging 3D genomics to reveal actionable insights to empower researchers and clinicians seeking to improve human health, today announced an agreement to make an Arima next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based test available to clinicians for patient management through Protean BioDiagnostic’s CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory in Orlando, Florida. The new testing service, using Arima’s novel genomic technology, will identify clinically actionable gene fusions in tumor tissue from patients with cancer, and is anticipated to be available for order in the first half of 2023.
“We’re excited to partner with Protean in bringing Arima’s technology, which identifies gene fusions and other rearrangements missed by existing methods, to the clinic,” said Chris Roberts, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Arima Genomics. “We’ve shown that, in previously characterized tumor specimens from patients with no known actionable driver, we detect alterations in druggable targets in one third of cases. This improvement in diagnostic yield will provide more opportunities for physicians to match the driver of an individual patient’s cancer to a targeted therapy.”
“Protean is committed to providing the latest and highest quality laboratory diagnostics. We believe the Arima test meets this standard and offers oncologists a powerful new tool to find therapeutic targets for their patients,” said Anthony Magliocco, MD, FRCPC, FCAP, President and Chief Executive Officer of Protean BioDiagnostics. “Protean’s mission is to rapidly deploy innovative, clinically impactful tests, and make them readily available to doctors and patients to better plan treatments and open access to clinical trials for all patients, especially the underserved, to close the widening gap in access to effective new precision cancer therapies. Protean is excited to work with Arima, a visionary company focused on improving cancer care by uncovering new therapeutic opportunities for patients.”
In addition to routine clinical testing, this relationship will enable Protean and Arima to support biopharma through prospective enrollment of patients in clinical trials. Protean has extensive experience supporting the biopharmaceutical industry by providing access to its clinical trials network, reference laboratory services, data management, and ethical biospecimen sourcing.
“This partnership represents a momentous shift in how Arima technology can be utilized by clinicians to understand the molecular drivers of cancer,” said Siddarth Selvaraj, Chief Executive Officer of Arima Genomics. “I see this as an essential step on our path towards applying our technology to improve human health.”
