[mrsv118]

Next generation sequencing vs. GEP?

by mrsv118 on Sat Jun 13, 2015 12:56 pm

Can anyone explain what is next-generation sequencing and how it differs from gene expression profiling (GEP)?

[Cheryl G]

Re: Next generation sequencing vs. GEP?

by Cheryl G on Sat Jun 13, 2015 1:10 pm

Hi Kate,

Next generation sequencing (NGS) and GEP are really two different things.

NGS is a method of testing for minimal residual disease -- that is, whether very small numbers of myeloma cells can be detected in the bone marrow.

GEP, on the other hand, is a method for classifying myeloma cells and attempting to determine how aggressive the disease is and what a patient's prognosis may be. It's sort of an alternative to classifying myeloma cells based on their chromosomal abnormalities (using the results of FISH testing), which is used for the same purposes.

Hope this helps a bit.

[mrsv118]

Re: Next generation sequencing vs. GEP?

by mrsv118 on Sat Jun 13, 2015 4:08 pm

So then what is the difference between NGS and flow cytometry?

Thanks Cheryl, I'm trying to wrap my head around all this.

[Cheryl G]

Re: Next generation sequencing vs. GEP?

by Cheryl G on Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:47 pm

Flow cytometry and next generation sequencing are just two different ways of doing MRD testing. There's a third approach known as "allele specific oligonucleotide - polymerase chain reaction" (ASO-PCR). All three of the approaches use bone marrow samples. There is also research being done to develop ways to do MRD testing based on blood samples. However, I don't think that re­search is as far along right now.

The different approaches (NGS, flow cytometry, ASO-PCR) use different technologies and also vary in how good they are at detecting residual disease. But all of them focus on the same issue, which is trying to figure out how much myeloma is still in the body.