New genetic test to speed up and streamline diagnosis of inherited cancers

Genetic testing company, Nonacus, has launched its latest next generation sequencing (NGS) test in the GALEAS product range – the GALEAS Hereditary Plus panel – which provides laboratories and clinicians with a comprehensive and streamlined way to diagnose patients with cancer that is caused by inherited genetic mutations.

Multi-gene NGS panels are now widely used to diagnose hereditary cancers. However, most existing NGS panels struggle to identify copy number variation (CNV) mutations, and require a technique called multiplex ligation dependant probe amplification (MLPA) analysis to detect them. This process adds time and cost for genomics labs.
Developed for inherited cancers and supported by a tailored bioinformatics solution, GALEAS Hereditary Plus has the potential to significantly reduce the need for MLPA testing for these variants streamlining workflow, and, allowing laboratories to deliver more tests and with a quicker turnaround time. Genetic testing services are dealing with backlogs caused by increased demand, so labs are continuously looking for ways to be more efficient.

Samantha Butler, a Senior Principal Clinical Scientist in the NHS, said: “GALEAS Hereditary Plus hugely simplifies hereditary genetic testing in our genetics service – we will be able to diagnose far more patients in the same time frame, and ultimately save valuable NHS resources by not having to go through additional testing using MLPA.”
The GALEAS Hereditary Plus test covers 146 genes, making it compliant with ESMO and AMP guidelines, which apply to the EU and USA respectively. It covers 100% of those in the UK’s National Genomics Test Directory for genetic testing for rare and inherited disorders, such as Lynch syndrome, and hard-to-detect mutations in rarer hereditary cancer types like Phaeochromocytoma and paediatric cancers like Wilms tumour.
GALEAS Hereditary Plus provides the complete end-to-end solution, combining an optimised wet lab workflow and proprietary bioinformatics software, for the analysis of hereditary cancers. This reduces the need for MLPA, streamlining workflows and increasing lab efficiency.

Chris Sale, CEO of Nonacus, said: “We are striving to build a suite of meaningful genomic tests that can have real impact on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer. GALEAS Hereditary Plus is the latest product in our GALEAS range to deliver tailored genomics and bioinformatics to deliver real benefit to testing labs and ultimately to patients. We’re excited to launch this new, comprehensive testing panel that will help clinicians diagnose more inherited cancers in a simplified way.”
GALEAS Hereditary Plus adds to Nonacus’ NGS panel portfolio. Nonacus previously launched GALEAS Bladder, now offered as a service for doctors and patients through Informed Genomics Limited, which detects bladder cancer through a urine sample, reducing the need for invasive and costly cystoscopies.

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