Consortium awards Second Contract for Biopsy Diagnostics

A partnership comprising software company Euformatics, ViennaLab Diagnostics and Oncompass Medicine, have been awarded with one of three Phase 2 contracts to research and develop an economically sustainable liquid biopsy diagnostics solution based on DNA and RNA molecular profiling in cancer patients for a buyer consortium including some of the highest ranking European hospitals(1) from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium for the OncNGS pre-commercial procurement Consortium funded by the EU.

OncNGS aims to improve cancer patients’ lives through development of novel molecular DNA/RNA analysis and profiling of tumour-derived material in liquid biopsies using a pan-cancer tumour marker analysis kit combined with a bioinformatics decision support system including the analytical test interpretation and clinical oncology reporting. Phase 2 contracts started in September 2023 after completion of Phase 1 during the first half of 2023  and evaluation of tender responses during the summer. The overall pre-commercial procurement will span across three competing phases and will run until 2026 with a total contract value of 7 million euros.

Tommi Kaasalainen, CEO of Euformatics, a global leader in NGS data quality control and variant interpretation said; “We had great collaboration with ViennaLab and Oncompass during Phase 1, so I was confident that we had good chances of progressing to the next phase of the project. The technical requirements in the oncNGS program are super tough but fortunately we have a world class team in our companies to tackle them. Looking forward to delivering a high-performing liquid biopsy kit and bioinformatics pipeline to the buyers.”

Martin Zeppetzauer, CEO of ViennaLab, added; “During phase 1 the project team was able to progress rapidly and lay the foundations for a sophisticated and multifarious concept that will enable a new level of liquid biopsy diagnostics. The award of the phase 2 contract now enables us to intensify the efforts of our industry leading experts and we can look forward to the created concepts advancing to effective solutions.”

Professor Dr. Istvan Petak, Founder and CEO of Oncompass Medicine, concluded; “As we embark on Phase 2 of this pivotal project, our collective mission remains crystal clear: to unlock precision medicine’s full potential in the fight against cancer. With ViennaLab’s unrivaled proficiency in wet lab techniques and Euformatics’s excellence in dry lab analytics, our triad of expertise is poised to decipher the intricate molecular landscape, guiding us to bespoke cancer therapies. Together, we’re proud to lead the way in precision oncology, including rapid liquid biopsy analysis, offering hope to countless patients in need.”

The Phase 2 of the pre-commercial procurement will be completed within 12 months. Awarded R&D providers in Phase 3 will integrate their solution to the buyers’ environment and demonstrate clinical performance and analytical validity such as assay performance to examine accuracy, precision and specificity of the workflow results.

 1.  oncNGS procurement consortium is formed by oncology medical centers from the Sciensano and Institut Jules Bordet in Belgium, stitut Curie and Hospices Covils de Lyon in France, Charite Universtaetsmedizin and Ludwig Maximilians Universtaet Muenchen in Germany, Alleanza Contro il Cancro in Italy, and Institut Catala d’Oncolo.

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