Relationship leverages Quest's sequencing and
specimen collection expertise with Scipher's precision medicine
technology
SECAUCUS, N.J. and WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 28,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:
DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information
services, and Scipher Medicine, a precision immunology company,
today announced a multi-pronged collaboration designed to expand
patient access to diagnostic services advancing precision medicine
for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Under a multi-year collaboration, Quest will provide advanced
RNA extraction and next-generation sequencing services for
Scipher's PrismRA test. The test is a blood-based molecular
signature response classifier (MSRC) aimed at predicting a
patient's response to TNF inhibitor (TNFi) therapy, a commonly
prescribed treatment for patients with RA. In addition, Quest will
enable specimen collection at approximately 7,300 patient access
points, including phlebotomists in physician offices and over 2,100
patient service center locations, as well as courier logistics
services that include transport of patient specimens between the
Quest and Scipher laboratories and provider sites.
RA is an autoimmune disorder affecting approximately 1.3 million
people in the United States.
While TNF inhibitors are first-line therapy for RA, one in
three patients fail to achieve a favorable response, delaying
treatment with alternative therapies.i Lack of
prompt RA treatment is associated with worse outcomes, including
irreversible joint damage, pain and disability. In addition,
treatment with TNFi therapies for patients who will not benefit can
contribute to wasted healthcare dollars, as this class of biologics
can cost $10,000 to $30,000 a year.ii
"PrismRA is a breakthrough in RA precision medicine diagnostics
because it helps enable the early, personalized treatment so
critical to favorable outcomes for this often-disabling disease.
Through our relationship with Scipher, Quest extends our
capabilities in autoimmune diagnostic services, including services
to aid clinical decisions with biologics," said Karthik Kuppusamy, Ph.D., Senior Vice President,
Clinical Solutions, Quest Diagnostics.
Quest serves approximately one in two providers each year and
enables connectivity with nearly 850 electronic health record
systems for streamlined test ordering and results reporting.
The collaboration centers on Quest's next-generation sequencing
capabilities at its advanced laboratory in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Quest will extract
and sequence RNA from PrismRA blood specimens to identify
approximately two dozen molecular traits associated with response
to TNFi therapies. RNA transcripts in the blood can be incorporated
into Scipher's molecular classifier analysis which is predictive of
the biology that underpins drug response. Scipher will also
incorporate this molecular data with patient data and results of
anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), an RA antibody
marker, from testing at its North
Carolina laboratory. Through their electronic health record,
physicians receive a personalized report with a score indicating
predicted response based on analysis of the complete set of
laboratory and patient data.
"Our collaboration with Scipher delivers on Quest's strategy and
investments in genomics, particularly next-generation sequencing,
and scale in blood-specimen logistics. With these differentiated
assets, Quest is empowering clinical innovators like Scipher to
fulfill the potential of precision medicine to benefit large,
underserved patient populations," said Mark
A. Gardner, Senior Vice President, Molecular Genomics and
Oncology, Quest Diagnostics.
Testing with PrismRA
Scipher's PrismRA test analyzes RA patients' molecular profiles to
identify those unlikely to respond to TNF inhibitors. By analyzing
an individual's molecular signature, the PrismRA test helps
identify patients who can be prescribed an alternative effective
therapy to avoid unnecessary dose escalations or drug cycles.
Previous data published by Scipher indicates RA patients with
moderate and high disease activity whose treatment was guided by
PrismRA had a nearly two-fold clinical improvement in Clinical
Disease Activity Index scores compared to patients whose therapy
was not guided by PrismRA results over six
months.iii
"We are excited to work with Quest Diagnostics to provide
patients access to our PrismRA test," said Scipher Medicine CEO
Alif Saleh. "This relationship will
significantly expand the availability and make an impact on
patients suffering from RA."
About PrismRA®
PrismRA is a revolutionary blood test
bringing precision medicine to the treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis, which affects 20 million patients globally. From a
routine blood draw, the PrismRA test analyzes an individual's
molecular signature, helping identify who is unlikely to adequately
respond to TNFi therapy, the world's largest selling drug
class,iv so non-responders can be prescribed
alternative effective therapy and avoid unnecessary dose
escalations or drug cycles. Providers now have objective data to
inform therapeutic decision-making and give patients the best
chance of achieving treatment targets and improving clinical
outcomes. For more information, please visit PrismRA.com.
About Scipher Medicine®
Scipher Medicine, a precision
immunology company matching each patient with their most effective
therapy, believes that patients deserve simple answers to treatment
options based on scientific data. Using Spectra™, our proprietary
network medicine platform, we commercialize tests revealing a
person's unique molecular disease signature and match it to the
most effective therapy, ensuring optimal treatment from day one.
The patient molecular data generated from our tests further
supports the discovery and development of novel and more effective
therapeutics. We partner with leading payers, pharmacy benefit
managers, health care providers, and biotechnology pharmaceutical
companies to bring solutions to patients with autoimmune diseases.
Visit sciphermedicine.com and follow Scipher Medicine on
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers
people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the
world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic
insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire
healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest
annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the
physicians and hospitals in the United
States, and our nearly 50,000 employees understand that, in
the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights
can inspire actions that transform lives.
www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
i Curtis JR, Jain A, Askling J. et al. A
comparison of patient characteristics and outcomes in selected
European and U.S. rheumatoid arthritis registries. Semin Arthritis
Rheum. 2010;40(1):2-14.e1.
ii Biologics for RA: Costs and Insurance
(webmd.com)
iii https://www.sciphermedicine.com/scipher-medicine-publishes-new-data-further-supporting-clinical-utility-of-prismra-blood-test/
iv Wille E. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Disease analysis.
Datamonitor Healthcare Pharma Intelligence. 2023 Feb 06.
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics