OGT expanded NGS cancer panels enable sequencing of difficult genes

The Molecular Genetics Company,has expanded itsSureSeq myPanel™ NGS CustomCancer Panel content. The expansion comes in response to NGS becoming ever more important for research into an increasing number of cancer types, and a need to obtain reliable data for difficult-to-sequence genes and mutations.

The expanded contentnow covers over 70 genes, with many more available in the near future, optimised for haematology and solid tumours including breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian and prostate cancer, glioma, melanoma, sarcoma, leukaemias, myeloproliferative neoplasms and myelodysplastic syndrome.

The strength of OGT’s hybridisation-based bait design coupled with its unique expertise delivers excellent whole gene coverage, unparalleled uniformityand the ability to sequence even the most difficult of regions. Thisyields reproducible and meaningful data,enabling researchers to be confidentin sequencing results and analyses.

Some of the most difficult cancer-associated genes to sequence are those that have high levels of GC-rich content, such as the tumour suppressor geneCEBPA in acute myeloid leukaemia, and TP53, which isfrequently mutatedin many cancer types including breast cancer.In addition, genes that contain internal tandem duplications arechallenging to target due to their repetitive nature and length. Panels available from other supplierscan experience problems with data variability, coverage drop-out or masked mutations in these regions. In contrast, OGT’s innovativebait design uniquely overcomes these issues, delivering the high levels of uniform coverage required, and reducing the need for supplementaryfill-in by Sanger sequencing.

Thisunique design allows researchers to detectlow frequency variants consistently down to 1% VAF (variant allele frequency) at a read depth of >1000x. The panels are fully customisable—researchers can select thegene, exonic or intronic content needed to create an NGS cancer panel that meets their exact requirements. All the content is fully pre-optimised, removing the need for lengthy in-house optimisation, reducing assay development time.

Dr Anna Skowronska, R&D Scientist at West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory, has been using the SureSeq Myeloid Panel content. Shecommented:“We’ve found that theSureSeq Panel performs very well and has detected all known positives with an excellent variant detection of around 1%…we were positively surprised right from the very first analysisby the level of mutation detection achievable.”

OGT closely collaborates with leading experts and examines the current literature to provide the most up-to-date targeting of all relevant regions. This includesexonic, intronic and splice sites, and deliverscomprehensive insight into disease-driving mutations.Dave Cook, Senior Product Manager at OGT elaborated: “We’re continually working to expand our custom NGS panel content to ensure we have the most recent and relevant content.Our coverage and reproducibility is unrivalled in the market and we wanted to expand the accessibility of quality NGS data to a wider range of cancer types—including genes and regions that are known to be difficult to sequence. We’re committed to helping customers reach their goals and we’re pleased to report that our expertise has enabled us to overcomethese sequencing difficulties, giving them more confidence in the data they are generating”.For more information please visit www.ogt.com .

Oxford Gene Technology,
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Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) provides world-class genetics research solutions to leading clinical and academic research institutions. Founded by Professor Sir Edwin Southern, and with customers in over 60 countries worldwide, OGT has a strong reputation and increasing share in the large and growing genomic medicine market. The Company’s Cytocell®, CytoSure™ and SureSeq™ range of fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), microarray and next generation sequencing (NGS) products deliver high-quality genetic analysis, enabling accurate identification and confirmation of the causative variation underlying genetic disease.

For more information on the Company, please visit our website at www.ogt.com.