It has been an exciting and busy year at Ambry Genetics, packed with steps forward on our path towards understanding all human disease. We have continued our dedication, not only to quality testing, but to innovation, research, and patient advocacy. As we reach the end of 2017, we look forward to an even more impactful 2018 and working together to improve patient care through our genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes.

Looking back on 2017, here are some of Ambry’s accomplishments in the area of oncology testing:

Innovation:

In June 2017, Ambry launched the industry’s first paired tumor/germline genetic tests, TumorNext-Lynch and TumorNext-HRD. Combining germline and tumor testing can create a more complete picture, bringing clarity to diagnosis, treatment and management. Additionally, these paired tests increase efficiency, as clients do not have to order separate germline and tumor testing to receive the information needed to guide management. TumorNext-Lynch is designed to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome with one simple test, and TumorNext-HRD is designed for patients with ovarian cancer to determine not only if they may benefit from treatment with a PARP inhibitor, but also if they have hereditary cancer.

Learn More About Ambry’s Paired Testing

Research and Collaborations:

Throughout 2017, Ambry researchers led or participated in many research studies which resulted in posters, platform presentations, and several key publications.

Ambry’s collaboration with Fergus Couch at Mayo Clinic led to publications in JAMA Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology and further defines inherited risks for breast and ovarian cancer, respectively.

• Couch F, et al. Associations between cancer predisposition testing panel genes and breast cancer. JAMA Oncology.

• Lilyquist J et al. Frequency of mutations in a large series of clinically ascertained ovarian cancer cases tested on multi-gene panels compared to reference controls. Gynecologic Oncology.

Ambry Genetics and The Ohio State University research of nearly 35,000 patients, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in April 2017 (Espenschied C, et al. Multi-gene panel testing provides a new perspective on Lynch syndrome.), expanded how we think about genetic testing strategies, lifetime cancer risks, and medical management for people with Lynch syndrome.

Patient Advocacy:

In October 2017, Ambry partnered with patient blogger, Nicole Schweppe, who was undergoing 16 rounds of chemo therapy, to launch a new “chemo care-bag” initiative.

Nicole wrote about how she had brought a chemo bag with her every week for her infusions to keep her mind busy and create a comfortable space for herself. Inspired by her story, Ambry employees donated goods, such as magazines, blankets and warm socks to create 70 chemo-care bags, 30 of which were distributed nationally by Nicole and Ambry’s social media and community outreach managers. The remaining 40 have been shared with clinics and foundations local to Ambry in Southern California, so that they can be distributed to women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. 

There was an outpouring of positive feedback via social media from both patients and their healthcare providers regarding this initiative, such as a patient who stated “I want to say thank you for the package. It brought a lot of smiles to my face, and I had just come home from another procedure. God bless you all and keep doing what you all do for people. It’s a blessing to have people like y’all fighting with us during this time.”

We look forward to continuing this chemo-care bag initiative in 2018.

Read All of Our 2017 News Here