Automated System for Molecular Testing

In need of an automated system for molecular testing of solid tumors including colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma to deliver diagnostic and treatment services to our veterans in a timely manner. To facilitate that objective, a system capable of detecting actionable mutations in genes including BRAF, KRAS, NRAS, and EGFR and Microsatellite Instability (MSI) is required. A preferred system will be technically simple and designed to prevent contamination, easy to operate with minimal hands-on time (minutes, but not hours), and involve no advanced training of technical personnel. The system should utilize limited quantity of specimens such as one or two sections of 5-10 mM thick formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue including biopsies or 1 mL of plasma as liquid biopsy. Ideally, an integrated automatic workflow encompassing specimen processing, target detection and analysis, and generating reports is desirable.  An analytical system is being requested that will reduce the TAT to a few days and enable diagnosis and treatment of our veterans without delay and save a considerable amount of money in send-out costs.