Prevention and Treatment of Cancer is the Most Significant Topic of the 21st Century

In 2018, there were 18 million reported cancer cases worldwide. This month, our Quiet Heroes behind the scenes at Eurofins Central Laboratory stand with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in recognizing September as Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Some of these cancers include:

• Leukemia (437,033 cases in 2018)
• Lymphoma (509,590 cases in 2018)
• Myeloma (159,985 cases in 2018)

As a full-service, dedicated Central Laboratory providing support to a broad range of customers, Eurofins has built expertise in various therapeutic areas. In the last three years alone, Eurofins Central Laboratory continues to support (88) Oncology (Immuno-Oncology, Hemato-Oncology, Solid Tumors) studies. As some therapeutic areas like Oncology may have nuances in laboratory testing needs, specialized shipping conditions and/or reporting considerations, Eurofins assigns Project Managers with their particular expertise to respective studies or study programs so that they can become versed in the preferences of every Client.

Eurofins Central Laboratory is member of the Eurofins BioPharma Services division of Eurofins Scientific, founded in 1987. The 125+ distinct laboratory locations refer to the larger global footprint of the Eurofins BioPharma Services division that covers Discovery, Clinical Testing and compound focused analysis [Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing]. Eurofins believes that it is in the top 5 companies worldwide in most segments of the global testing market for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

Protecting Cancer Patients

For many cancer patients, the transplant of stem cells from a donor is potentially a life-saving treatment. However, there is a risk that donor cells can attack the patient receiving them in a disease called acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD), a potentially life-threatening condition following cell transplantation. Innovative tests, offered by Eurofins, can predict the risk of rejection so that the best patient care can be planned for. Stem cell transplants, including peripheral blood, bone marrow, and cord blood transplants, can be used to treat cancer, most often those affecting blood or the immune system, like leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma.

Work over the past several years has investigated the use of biomarkers for non-invasive and predictive assessment of aGVHD risk. Biomarkers can determine whether aGVHD is likely to develop so that clinicians can accurately identify, at an early stage, patients which are at high-risk for severe aGVHD and improve patient outcomes following allogeneic transplants. In August 2018, Eurofins Viracor, a member of Eurofins BioPharma Services became the first laboratory to make a predictive aGVHD assay commercially available.

The assay predicts the risk of aGVHD development in those patients who are beginning to display symptoms, those who have previously received aGVHD treatment and even those who are not yet presenting any symptoms indicating the disease. The scope of the test made available by Eurofins supplies healthcare providers with actionable data to definitively identify at-risk patients and guide decisions to improve treatment outcomes. High-risk patients can be preemptively treated for aGVHD, while low-risk patients may potentially avoid unnecessary treatment. The aGVHD predictive assay provides a faster, more cost effective and less invasive testing alternative to biopsy, and provides vital information to allow for preemptive intervention, minimizing the risk of relapse and infectious complications.

The Science Behind the Heroes

The aGVHD predictive assay was developed by Drs. James Ferrara and John Levine (both professors of Pediatrics, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), and validated in conjunction with 17 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) centers to help predict the risk of non-relapse mortality (NRM) and aGVHD in HSCT patients.

The assay is based on algorithms utilizing serum levels of the so-called ST2 and REG3α biomarkers. These algorithms have clinically validated cutoffs that provide actionable insights within 24 hours. High-risk patients can be preemptively treated for aGVHD by adjusting immunosuppressive drug dosages prior to the onset of clinical disease, while low-risk patients may potentially avoid unnecessary treatment.

Your Dedicated BioPharma Laboratories

Eurofins Central Laboratory is a member of Eurofins BioPharma Services, a division of Eurofins Scientific. With about 45,000 staff in more than 800 laboratories across 47 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods for evaluating the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin and purity of biological substances and products, as well as for innovative clinical diagnostics. The Group objective is to provide every customer with high-quality services, accurate results on time and expert advice by highly qualified staff.

Members of the Eurofins BioPharma Services family include:

• Eurofins Genomics - Dedicated specialty laboratories with genomics analysis
• Eurofins Bioanalytical Services - Small and large molecular bioanalytical analysis
• Eurofins Optimed – Early clinical development services & phase I clinic.
• Eurofins Central Laboratory - Global clinical trials (safety, efficacy, biomarkers, kits/specimen management)
• Eurofins Viracor - Dedicated specialty laboratories based upon your Immunology/Virology needs
• Eurofins Biomnis - Dedicated specialty laboratories based upon your Pathology/Women's Health needs

Your Quiet Heroes

As we go about our daily lives, many of us scarcely notice the complex processes, scientific endeavor and rigorous testing that keep us safe and well. As world leaders and innovators in analytical testing, our scientists at Eurofins Central Laboratory are Quiet Heroes, ensuring that every clinical trial sample is collected, transported, managed, analyzed, reported and stored to meet the objectives and purpose of every oncology study. Our heroes walk beside you every day, keeping your family healthy, making our world stronger. Day in and day out, we are testing for life.

Dedicated Focus on Laboratory Science 

Unlike most of the laboratory industry currently, Eurofins is exclusively focused on laboratory analytical solutions.  With over 3.8 Billion EUR revenue in 2018, all of the resources, revenue, and personnel are dedicated to one action exclusively - laboratory analysis. This allows Eurofins to provide the most comprehensive and innovative laboratory solutions in the industry.

Speak to an Expert!

Throughout the drug development cycle, regulatory approvals are highly dependent on laboratory data generated in clinical trials. The unbiased data that a central laboratory provides is of pivotal importance in any clinical trial. It's the RESULTS THAT MATTER.

Heroes at Eurofins Central Laboratory look forward to being a part of your Oncology Clinical Trial journey and participating in the ongoing research and development towards that end. Feel free to reach out to us to begin the conversation!

References:

Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global Cancer Statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin, in press. The online GLOBOCAN 2018 database is accessible at http://gco.iarc.fr/, as part of IARC’s Global Cancer Observatory.