Quest Diagnostics Unveils a Pair of Personalized Medicine Blockbusters

Public support for personalized and precision medicine (PM) is running ahead of the health care industry's plans to develop and implement PM-based clinical strategies. At least that is the conventional thinking, supported by two recent studies. (See "Public Ahead of Providers in Support of Personalized Medicine," Lab & Pathology Insider, Oct. 26, 2016, for details on the study findings.) But based on the deals we are seeing, the theory that the industry is dragging its feet on PM simply does not hold up—at least within the diagnostics realm.

And it is not just startups and research institutions. Now the giant labs are stepping up and launching actionable PM clinical solutions. Quest Diagnostics has been among the most active on this front. Last month, Quest made national headlines by partnering with IBM Watson Health to launch a new precision medicine service combining genomic tumor sequencing with cognitive computing. (See Diagnostic Testing & Emerging Technologies, May 11, 2015, for more about IBM's Watson and genomic analysis for cancer care.)

On Nov. 21, Quest announced another PM blockbuster: QuestDirect, a pilot service in Colorado and Missouri that allows patients to order certain lab tests without a physician's order by downloading a special order form posted on the company's website. "In today's consumer- driven health care environment, people want to play a more active role in managing their own health and wellness," Quest CEO Steve Rusckowski explained in a statement.

Although the Quest deals command the attention, the real impetus for development of PM solutions that consumers can use now, either directly or via their physician, is coming from the growing volume of smaller deals that fly under the radar. The "Scorecard" below lists just a few of the notable PM deals from November.

Scorecard: Notable Personalized/Precision Medicine Deals from November

• Nov. 1: Genomics startup Helix partners with Mount Sinai for apps enabling consumers to assess their risks of transmitting genetic disorders similar to the deal it made with Invitae earlier this year;

• Nov. 2: Amazon begins sales of VeriYou, Good Start Genetics' next-generation sequencing (NGS) test that couples planning to have children can use to screen for cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy;

• Nov. 4: Cancer Genetics launches Focus: Renal, an NGS panel for PM in renal cancers;

• Nov. 11: Phillips announces a pair of partnerships involving its IntelliSpace Genomics solution for personalized cancer treatments—one with Westchester Medical Center Health Network, the other with interpretation services provider N-of-One;

• Nov. 16: Paradigm Diagnostics closes a $7 million Series B financing to fund rapid commercial expansion of its PCDx tumor sequencing test enabling physicians to offer personalized treatment to cancer patients;

• Nov. 18: OneOme launches RightMed, a 22-gene pharmacogenomics assay designed for integration into routine clinical care;

• Nov. 29: CombiMatrix secures New York State approval for its NGS screening test for women prior to in vitro fertilization.

Takeaway: The popular perception that personalized medicine is more of a consumer attitude than a clinical reality is being belied—at least within the diagnostics realm—not just by lab giants like Quest but the literally dozens of smaller genomic deals being transacted each week.