This presentation discusses the evolving landscape of precision medicine, particularly in the context of cancer diagnostics and treatment. Jensen began by emphasising the central dogma of precision medicine: matching the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, and proposed an additional pillar – the necessity of the right diagnostic test to enable optimal therapy selection.
Jensen represented LabCorp, highlighting the company’s commitment to developing innovative assays and capabilities to support this mission. He outlined the complexities involved in developing companion or complementary diagnostics alongside new drugs, including biomarker identification, technology selection, regulatory navigation, and logistical challenges in clinical trials. LabCorp, he noted, has dedicated teams addressing each of these facets, ensuring that diagnostic tests are available promptly upon drug approval and that they meet stringent quality standards such as ISO 13485 accreditation.
The presentation then explored LabCorp’s technological advancements, particularly in next-generation sequencing (NGS). Jensen described a suite of NGS-based products designed to provide healthcare solutions tailored to diverse clinical needs. These include centralised high-throughput tests and decentralised kits for local use, such as the elio tissue complete (a 505-gene panel for solid tumours), PGDx elio plasma focus Dx (a 33-gene liquid biopsy panel), and PGDx elio plasma complete (a 523-gene liquid biopsy panel). These products, now globally available and regulated, enable both tissue and liquid biopsy testing, offering flexibility for clinical trials and patient care.
Jensen then focused on molecular minimal residual disease (MRD) detection, introducing LabCorp Plasma Detect – a whole-genome, tumour-informed sequencing assay. He explained the technical approach, which leverages patient-specific genomic fingerprints to achieve high sensitivity and specificity in ctDNA detection, with rapid turnaround times. Clinical studies, particularly in colorectal cancer and mesothelioma, have demonstrated the assay’s prognostic value, correlating ctDNA levels with patient outcomes and recurrence.
Finally, Jensen shared insights into ongoing advancements, including the adoption of new sequencing technologies to further improve sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratios. LabCorp continues to refine these assays, aiming to push detection limits lower and enhance patient care through precision diagnostics.
