Selah Genomics Release: New Four-Way Collaboration Aims To Improve Clinical Decision-Making In The Treatment Of Colon Cancer

Selah Genomics, Greenville Health System, DecisionQ Corporation and BD working together to “democratize genetic medicine”

Greenville, South Carolina – 25th February 2015 – EKF Diagnostics subsidiary, Selah Genomics, has announced a major, four-way collaboration with Greenville Health System (GHS, South Carolina), DecisionQ Corporation (Virginia), and BD (Becton Dickinson and Company, New Jersey). Expected to last 18 months, the collaboration aims to unite classic clinical annotations with proprietary next generation sequencing (NGS) technology and artificial intelligence-based decision support algorithms in order to improve clinical decision support in the treatment of colon cancer patients.

More than eight out of ten US patients are treated in the community, and as many as 60 percent of all patients with solid tumors do not respond to first-line treatment. This results in further treatment cycles, higher cost, elevated toxicity and, perhaps most importantly, lost time. A tool that significantly improves the prognostication for patients by bringing center of excellence expertise to any clinical setting is therefore highly desirable.

Using its PrecisionPath™ NGS technology, Selah Genomics will first determine the genetic profiles of tumor samples provided by the Institute for Translational Oncology Research, which is part of GHS’s Cancer Institute. The samples, from colon cancer patients with known outcomes, will be provided with full clinical annotation. DecisionQ will employ its advanced machine-learning platform to integrate genetic profile data with clinical annotations to produce a model that will improve clinical decisions related to the treatment of colon cancer patients. The research project is being funded in part by BD in return for the first opportunity to license the technology should the collaboration be a success. After the initial collaboration, a clinical trial is planned to validate the research and affirm the effectiveness of the new system as a clinical decision support tool for the community-based setting.

“This initial collaboration will demonstrate the power of a new generation of personalized medicine decision support tools for oncologists, starting with a particular focus on empowering oncologists treating colon cancer patients in the community-based setting,” said Michael Bolick, CEO, Selah Genomics. “Leveraging particular contributions from each of our partners, we have a unique opportunity to fast track our development timelines across an array of targets.”

Jeff Edenfield, MD, Medical Director of GHS’s Institute for Translational

Oncology Research said: “We have been using Selah Genomics’ PrecisionPath assay to provide molecular profiles of solid tumors since 2013. We share Selah’s vision that the determination of accurate tumor biomarkers needs to be based on both clinical and molecular annotation, so we’re very excited about this new collaboration.”

Todd Radano, CEO DecisionQ added: “We look forward to working with our partners and applying our predictive analytic technology to help clinicians improve the way they treat colon cancer.”

After proving the value for colon cancer, EKF and Selah Genomics intend to continue to evaluate similar models on other sites of origin.

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Editors’ notes

About EKF Diagnostics - www.ekfdiagnostics.com

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, which includes the EKF Diagnostics, EKF Molecular, Stanbio Laboratory, Separation Technology Inc., DiaSpect and Selah Genomics brands, specializes in the development, production and worldwide distribution of point-of-care blood analyzers for use in the detection and management of diabetes, anemia, lactate and kidney related diseases. Its new molecular division, EKF Molecular Diagnostics, focuses on technology used within the development of companion diagnostics, specifically within oncology. EKF products are sold in more than 100 countries around the globe, through a network of specialist distributors.

About Selah Genomics – www.selahgenomics.com

Selah Genomics is a clinical diagnostic specialist supporting healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical industry with advanced molecular and genomic diagnostic services. Selah’s services add value to early stage drug development, clinical trials and regulatory processes in the pharmaceutical industry and helps clinicians and healthcare providers treat and monitor patients, thereby improving patient outcomes. With the Power of Precision, Selah Genomics provides the best in molecular diagnostic testing, assay validation and genomic profiling that all leads to one common goal: to provide better outcomes for patients.

About GHS’s Institute for Translational Oncology Research

With a focus on translational research and personalized medicine, ITOR of GHS provides some of the most advanced cancer treatments available anywhere in the world while supporting industry’s crucial need to achieve greater efficiency and expediency in bringing life-saving cancer drugs to patients. The effort to advance these goals led to the creation of ITOR – an evolutionary process that began in 2004.

About DecisionQ

DecisionQ Corporation is a predictive analytic company that uses its proprietary machine-learning technology to create the foundational insights that power many of today’s data discovery systems. Our predictive models are at work in many industries, including healthcare, consumer products, finance, national security, and marketing communications.

About BD

BD is a leading medical technology company that partners with customers and stakeholders to address many of the world’s most pressing and evolving health needs. Our innovative solutions are focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers, supporting the management of diabetes and advancing cellular research. We are more than 30,000 associates in 50 countries who strive to fulfill our purpose of “Helping all people live healthy lives” by advancing the quality, accessibility, safety and affordability of healthcare around the world. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.

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