Use of Automated Next-Generation Sequencing for Rapid Profiling of Myeloid Malignancies

How In-House NGS Testing Can Impact Clinical Care

Modern cancer care relies heavily on biomarker testing for diagnosis of disease, as well as selection of effective therapies. As the number of actionable biomarkers continues to increase, single-gene testing methods have become less practical due to its large specimen requirements, long turnaround times, and lack of comprehensive coverage, giving rise to next-generation sequencing (NGS) as a necessary standard of care in oncology. A sequencing-based approach helps ensure all relevant biomarkers can be captured at once, making the most of limited sample tissue while also decreasing critical time-to-results.

Despite the overwhelming need for NGS, many hospitals are reliant on outsourcing to specialized reference laboratories to perform this service, leading to long turnaround times for results, and potentially initiating suboptimal treatment regimens for cancer patients. Recent advances in automation of NGS, however, have allowed hospitals to bring this valuable technology in house, facilitating faster results and better coordination of care.

In this webinar, the speakers will provide a basic overview of NGS technology and applications, as well as a more detailed description of one healthcare institution’s implementation of NGS for myeloid malignancies. By bringing sequencing in house, our speaker was able to deliver test results faster, and ultimately improve care for patients.

Learning Objectives

This webinar will help you:

• Describe the basic concept of next-generation sequencing (NGS)
• Identify the primary applications of NGS in precision oncology, including those for myeloid malignancies
• Discuss how a medical institution implemented NGS testing for myeloid malignancies in its lab using automated instrumentation
• Report how use of rapid, in-house NGS testing can impact clinical care for patients with myeloid malignancies

Watch on Demand       Download Slides (PDF, 1.9MB)

For research use only. Not for diagnostic procedures.

This webinar is produced by Whitehat Communications, a provider of continuing education programs in clinical laboratory sciences that has been approved by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.™ Program. One P.A.C.E. credit hour will be provided for this complimentary, basic-level program.

Giovanni Insuasti, MD

Dr. Insuasti is an assistant professor of pathology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and a practicing pathologist for Atrium Health. He is trained in both hematopathology as well as molecular pathology, with a particular interest in myeloid leukemias and B-lymphocytes. Insuasti is the medical director of the flow cytometry and molecular diagnostics laboratory at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, as well as the director of the hematopathology fellowship there.

Andrew Hutchison

Andrew Hutchison is the associate director of product management for clinical sequencing at Thermo Fisher Scientific. He has served in various scientific, engineering, and product management roles throughout his career, having helped develop multiple sequencing technologies. Hutchison currently manages a product team that supports next-generation sequencing, sample preparation, and laser capture microdissection instrumentation at Thermo Fisher, most notably, the Ion Torrent™ Genexus™ System.