The update will result in im­proved patient prognoses, better informed patient care de­ci­sions and reduced costs.

New York, NY and Little Rock, AR (Press Release) - Signal Genetics today announced that it has launched an update to its MyPRS gene ex­pres­sion assay for patients with Multiple Myeloma, which will im­prove patient prognoses, enable better informed patient care de­ci­sions, and ultimately reduce costs.

Every MyPRS test per­formed now in­cludes an analysis of an addi­tional set of 813-genes within the patient’s genome, which is used to create an individualized ‘Virtual Karyotype’ view of the patient’s disease. This new algorithm is offered in conjunction with the GEP70 risk stratification signature and 7-class molecular sub­typ­ing algorithm. The com­bi­na­tion of multiple genetic profiles provides the physician with an unparalleled level of personalized in­for­ma­tion about each patient, and rep­re­sents the results of decades of research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The Virtual Karyotype algorithm, published in Blood (May 24, 2012 vol. 119 no. 21 e148-e150), predicts cyto­genetic ab­nor­mal­i­ties in patients with multiple myeloma using gene ex­pres­sion profiling (GEP) . The accu­ra­cy of the method was val­i­dated against a range of conventional cytogenetic techniques and was shown to have an accu­ra­cy of up to 89 per­cent. Certain cytogenetic ab­nor­mal­i­ties, that are a hallmark of Multiple Myeloma, are commonly used as clin­i­cal parameters for determining the disease stage and help guide ther­apy de­ci­sions for patients. The Virtual Karyotype algorithm, now in­cluded in MyPRS, was designed to be an alter­na­tive to conventional methods which can be time consuming, expensive, subjective and often fail due to the dif­fi­culties encountered when attempting to culture myeloma cells.

Sam Riccitelli, Pres­i­dent and CEO of Signal Genetics said, “We are thrilled that our ongoing rela­tion­ship with UAMS allows us to bring new devel­op­ments in the genetic under­stand­ing of Multiple Myeloma to physi­cians and patients throughout the country. The addi­tion of the Virtual Karyotype signature to our MyPRS as­say is a major ad­vancement in expanding the already proven clin­i­cal utility of GEP for patients with myeloma and should encourage even more physicians to incorporate the test into routine care.”

About MyPRS

MyPRS, developed by UAMS, has been marketed by Signal Genetics since 2011. The multi-gene test, per­formed on bone marrow aspirate material, has been incorporated into the routine man­agement of patients diag­nosed with Multiple Myeloma in numerous treat­ment centers across the country. MyPRS™ can be used at the time of initial myeloma diag­nosis or if the patient has ex­peri­enced a relapse of their disease.

About Signal Genetics

Signal Genetics LLC is a privately held molecular diagnostic com­pany based in New York, NY and Little Rock, AR focused on providing inno­va­tive diagnostic services that help physicians make better-informed de­ci­sions concerning the care of their patients suffering from cancer. For more in­for­ma­tion, visit www.signalgenetics.com or email info(at)signalgenetics(dot)com.

Source: Signal Genetics.