RNA-Seq Blog Transcriptome Research & Industry News
Qlucore is delighted to announce a joint project with Heidelberg University Hospital to develop Qlucore Diagnostics – a medical device artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software – for improved clinical diagnostics of lung cancer.
Precision diagnostics driven by Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) is the future of cancer management. While DNA-based assays have been used for several years, RNA-based solutions are now gaining momentum, allowing for cancer classification using gene fusions and gene expression signatures. RNA-seq can reliably detect gene fusions and measure gene expression levels, thereby providing more insights into cancer biology. By profiling cancer by RNA-seq, critical information can also be obtained about the “immunological state” of the tumours and if the patients are likely to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Hence, RNA-seq aids a biologically-founded tumour classification, and consequently allows for more specific and accurate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Despite tough competition for funding, the partnership successfully secured the funds from the Eurostars joint European programme, which is aimed at R&D performing SMEs that wish to exploit the benefits that come with international collaboration. With this funding, Qlucore and Heidelberg University Hospital partnership will see the development of a ground-breaking solutions for cancer classification and diagnostics based on RNA-seq data including AI powered machine learning based classifiers.
Through a combination of expertise in bioinformatic software (Qlucore) and cancer diagnostics (Heidelberg University Hospital) the partnership will develop and clinically validate the first version of Qlucore Diagnostics for the classification of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This product will be CE-marked.
Qlucore Diagnostics is the missing element in the clinical precision diagnostic workflow. With machine learning algorithms enabling classification of lung cancer into distinct subtypes and a clinical decision support functionality allowing to predict patients’ response to treatment, plus user-friendly 3D visualizations of the results, and user support in clinical decision making, Qlucore Diagnostics will be the future of personalized precision oncology.
”We are proud to have been granted these funds in tough competition with many other proposals across Europe and it another proof of our plans to enable faster and more precise cancer diagnostics” says Carl-Johan Ivarsson, CEO.
Source – Qlucore
