HMH Launches Anthology Diagnostics Labs
March 16, 2021
Hackensack Meridian Health and Genomic Testing Cooperative (GTC) in Irvine, California, have teamed up to establish the first-of-its-kind genomic profiling laboratory called Anthology Diagnostics, to generate more personalized, precise, and real-time insights for cancer patients, oncologists and hospitals. The reference laboratory located at Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey will offer next generation sequencing data of DNA and RNA that is useful to clinicians in treatment decision-making for their patients as well as to researchers seeking to identify innovative biomarkers that can further improve the understanding and management of blood cancers and solid tumors.
GTC has developed highly validated tests for DNA as well as RNA profiling. DNA is the blueprint for all genetic information in the body; RNA converts genetic information from DNA to build proteins. Often in cancer, mutations in genes lead to defective proteins that can trigger cancer development, cause cancers to become resistant to treatment, or make them spread. Profiling both DNA and RNA in a patient with cancer can provide more information than DNA testing alone regarding the cancer origin, biology, and clinical behavior as well as the response of the immune system of the patient to the cancer.
“We are thrilled with the launch of Anthology Diagnostics Laboratory as it demonstrates the commitment of Hackensack Meridian Health to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, which is one of the country’s most common illnesses and a leading cause of death in the United States,” noted Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “The technologies we are spearheading with the laboratory puts us on the forefront of cancer care and research.”