SOPHiA GENETICS announced the University of Saskatchewan (USask) as its first HRD customer in Canada. USask will implement the SOPHiA DDM? Platform for use in its cutting-edge clinical trial, which aims to substantially improve the quality of life for ovarian cancer patients through expanded genetic testing.

This is the first clinical trial in Canada designed to improve ovarian cancer treatment decisions and inspire guideline changes to increase access to advanced testing. Ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecologic cancer; only about 45% of patients in Canada survive more than five years after diagnosis. The current standard for ovarian cancer tumor testing in Canada tests only for the absence or presence of a BRCA mutation; this identifies only a fraction of patients with genetic changes in their tumor.

The latest trial from USask will use additional genetic diagnostic tools, and the SOPHiA DDM? Platform, to inform oncologists on a wider spread of genes and potential mutations, which can be indicative of whether a patient may respond better to a targeted therapy rather than chemotherapy. The SOPHiA DDM?

Comprehensive Profiling Solution coupled with SOPHiA GENETICS' proprietary deep learning algorithm, GIInger?, will provide USask with a widespread look at potential mutations for each patient. This testing will provide the researchers with detailed genomic information, including predicted treatment response, in an expedited timeframe using SOPHiA GENETICS' advanced AI and proprietary technology to analyze and interpret raw NGS data and provide reliable and fast results. USask's clinical trial aims to leverage these findings to enable providers to create a personalized treatment plan with the goal of patients no longer undergoing treatments that may not help control their cancer and that worsen their quality of life.

HRD is caused by a cell's impaired ability to repair DNA double-stranded breaks through the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway; it is an important predictor of tumor response to certain treatment options. HRD is linked with the development of several cancers3 including advanced ovarian cancer, and is the most prevalent alteration in ovarian cancer, with approximately half of all newly diagnosed patients having HRD-positive tumors.