SOPHiA GENETICS
SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH), a cloud-native software company and a leader in data-driven medicine, today announced it has expanded an existing program in Spain to increase access to local testing for homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) throughout the country. The expansion of the program, supported by AstraZeneca Spain and its network throughout the country, will further SOPHiA GENETICS’ commitment to global health equity by making this vital testing available to thousands more patients in the country.
Commencement
The program from SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca Spain started in 2022, when AstraZeneca and SOPHiA GENETICS collaborated to deploy HRD testing to five labs throughout the country. In just six weeks on average, the labs were ready to start processing samples, allowing them to process tumor samples in an expedient manner. This collaboration allowed for over 4,000 samples to be analyzed to-date, equating to approximately 90 percent of HRD testing available for patients in Spain.
Preferred Partner
With today’s announcement, AstraZeneca Spain named SOPHiA GENETICS its preferred partner in deploying HRD testing throughout Spain. Together, SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca are offering the option for HRD testing to become available to even more laboratories throughout the country to help facilitate in-house HRD detection. The testing will not only aid in identifying HRD-positive tumors but will support faster diagnostics by increasing the volume and speed of next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing and tumor profiling available. By deploying the SOPHiA DDM™ Platform across further labs, the companies aim to increase accelerated diagnostics for patients and support clinicians in precision treatment planning.
Marta Moreno, director of Corporate Affairs and Market Access of AstraZeneca Spain
“At AstraZeneca we are focused on putting the medicine precision available to patients collaborating with hospitals and reference centers throughout Spain. Thanks to the study of biomarkers we can improve the approach to cancer patients, giving them treatment with greater guarantee of effectiveness and as personalized as possible, complying with our goal of chronicling cancer and getting rid of it someday as a cause of death. Hence our agreement with SOPHiA GENETICS, to offer hospital centers throughout Spain the possibility of making an accurate diagnosis for patients with ovarian cancer.”
Kevin Puylaert, Managing Director, EMEA, SOPHiA GENETICS
“The ability for local facilities in Spain to test for HRD status is paramount to providers in the region developing data-driven treatment plans to help increase positive health outcomes. We are excited to expand our testing program across several local diagnostic facilities. This program will not only make a difference to those who receive testing but will increase the volume of global data on HRD to help further progress on treatment options for those facing ovarian cancer.”
HRD
HRD is caused by a cell’s impaired ability to repair DNA double-stranded breaks through the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway; it is an important predictor of tumor response to certain treatment options. HRD is linked with the development of several cancers, including advanced ovarian cancer, and is the most prevalent alteration in ovarian cancer1, with approximately half of all newly diagnosed patients having HRD-positive tumors2.
