Genomics Venture Sets Sights on Clinical Trials

The International Genomics Consortium (IGC) and the University of Michigan's (UMich) Michigan Health Corporation have formed Paradigm, a nonprofit joint venture that brings together the tissue banking and molecular diagnostics development capabilities of IGC and the genetic sequencing expertise at UMich.

Based in Phoenix, AZ, the IGC is a nonprofit research organization focused on human tissue biobanking, molecular analysis, and translational development of diagnostic and theranostic testing. Among its roles, the organization acts as a centralized laboratory and repository for tissue samples for The Cancer Genome Atlas.

“It's really the perfect marriage,” says Robert Penny, MD, PhD, co-founder and CEO of the IGC and co-founder of Paradigm. “Our goal is to offer anywhere access to whole-genome and multigene sequencing and molecular diagnostics, and ultimately to accelerate the ability to tailor therapies based on a patient's DNA profile. The key is having access to large databases and having the right gene sequencing expertise to analyze this data.”

As an example of the UMich expertise, Penny points to the Michigan Oncology Sequencing Project, headed by Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD, director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology. A pilot study from this group, reported in Science Translational Medicine, carried out whole-genome, targeted whole-exome, and RNA sequencing of patient tumors plus targeted whole-exome sequencing of their normal DNA to identify actionable molecular targets within a few weeks.

One of the goals of Paradigm co-founder Jay Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, chair of the Department of Pathology at UMich, is to accelerate application of advanced sequencing approaches to clinical trials, first at Michigan and then elsewhere.

The venture plans to offer its services to clinical trial groups, research organizations, academic leaders, and pharmaceutical companies. “The goal is to be providing sequencing analysis for clinical trials and commercial tests in 2013 and making this available nationwide,” notes Penny.

Paradigm is based in Ann Arbor, MI, with additional operations at IGC. Employing about 30 employees in its first 3 years, the organization plans to start with cancer services and eventually expand its genomic analyses to other diseases.