Diaceutics PLC, (AIM: DXRX), today announces a strategic partnership with Canadian Pathology Quality Assurance (CPQA) to advance the development of Neurotrophic Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase (NTRK) IHC proficiency testing globally.

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Karina Hjort, Senior Director, Diaceutics (Photo: Business Wire)

Karina Hjort, Senior Director, Diaceutics (Photo: Business Wire)

In recent years, NTRK gene fusions have emerged as targets for cancer therapy due to advancing sequencing technologies. Globally, more labs are now testing for NTRK which means there is a growing demand for a robust Proficiency Testing (PT) program in this area.

CPQA has identified the need to source Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks from laboratories to enable them to build a small tissue microarray for the purposes of NTRK IHC proficiency testing and the development of NTRK IHC validation assistance.

The organisation will utilize DXRX’s vibrant marketplace to offer this unique collaboration opportunity to a global network of stakeholders in precision medicine diagnostics, including laboratories in close proximity to its facility – underscoring the pronounced value of DXRX-led networking.

CPQA is dedicated to supporting the implementation of accurate and high-quality testing, with a particular focus on curating secretory breast carcinoma and/or salivary Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma (MASC) blocks, as these tissue types have a higher incidence of NTRK Fusions.

Along with having the chance to work with a renowned global External Quality Assessment (EQA) or Proficiency Testing (PT) providers, laboratories participating in the collaboration hosted on the DXRX platform will be eligible to participate in the CPQA pan-TRK EQA program free of charge.

John Garratt, Director, CPQA said: “We are looking forward to taking advantage of Diaceutics’ extensive network facilitated through DXRX. This will enable us to engage with labs globally in developing quality assurance material for biomarker testing to ensure accurate delivery of personalized therapeutics.”

Karina Hjort, Senior Director, Diaceutics said: “We are delighted CPQA has been able to benefit from DXRX’s targeted networking opportunities, enabling global precision medicine to unite around a common objective – greatly expediting what would generally be a very protracted lab recruitment process.

“A DXRX collaboration is an opportunity for multiple stakeholders to work together to solve real-world testing challenges at any stage of the diagnostic development and commercialization process, either by joining sponsored collaborations or creating their own on the marketplace. We look forward to partnering with CPQA and supporting future, similar programs on DXRX.”

This collaboration on the platform’s marketplace is live until March 26th, however registration may close once 20 labs have been enrolled.

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About Diaceutics

At Diaceutics we believe that every patient should get the precision medicine they deserve. We are a data analytics and end-to-end services provider enabled by DXRX - the world’s first Network solution for the development and commercialization of precision medicine diagnostics. Diaceutics has worked on every precision medicine brought to market and provides services to 36 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. We have built the world’s largest repository of diagnostic testing data with a growing network of 2500 labs in 51 countries. www.diaceutics.com

About CPQA-AQCP

CPQA-AQCP partners with diagnostic medical laboratories to maintain a high standard of biomarker testing by providing samples that allow labs to test their performance.

CPQA-AQCP is a not for profit organization that is one of the products of the evolution of a University of British Columbia programme originally founded in 2009, in response to the ever-changing landscape of diagnostic medical laboratory testing in Canadian and international laboratories. CPQA-AQCP continues to build on existing work to systematically monitor and improve the proficiency of medical laboratory testing across the country, facilitating participation by laboratories nationwide and internationally regardless of jurisdiction or existing accreditation requirements.