Lab21, a company involved in personalized medicine and clinical diagnostics, has launched a new Clinical Genomics Center located within the Greenville Hospital System (GHS) Memorial Medical Campus in South Carolina, US.

Located at the GHS Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR), the center is part of an on-going collaboration to facilitate the introduction of complex biomarker analysis into routine cancer patient management.

Lab21 said with this, it is introducing next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology as part of its growing translational medicine clinical services portfolio in the US.

ITOR medical director Joe Stephenson said bringing this technology to the cancer clinic represents a significant breakthrough and the culmination of a seven-year journey.

"This genomics center is another major step towards fulfilling our vision to provide personalized cancer care – better enabling us to offer the right drug, at the right time, to the right patient," Stephenson said.

A strategic relationship with Life Technologies has facilitated the establishment of the new center. Life Technologies is providing its new Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine as the key launch platform technology for the center.

Lab21 president Michael Bolick said: "We conducted extensive due diligence on the underpinning technology for the center and are confident that our engagement with Life Technologies will enable us to offer a comprehensive and cost-effective NGS service to the oncology community."

Lab21 CEO Graham Mullis said the establishment of this center underlines the company’s commitment to its personalized medicine strategy and to introduce molecular services and products into North America.

"It also reinforces our relationship with ITOR and the potential to use this technology for clinical trial applications with a view to identifying new biomarkers which can subsequently build our proprietary companion diagnostic portfolio," Mullis said.

"Importantly, it marks our intention to utilize this NGS technology in other therapeutic areas in addition to oncology."