Under the partnership, affiliates of Solaris Health will use Velsera’s Clinical Genomics Workspace platform to provide inherited cancer testing through their own labs
Solaris Health’s affiliates will use Velsera’s CGW platform to expand access to genetic testing. (Credit: National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)
US-based healthcare technology firm Velsera and urological services platform provider Solaris Health have forged a collaboration to make advanced genetic testing more easily accessible to help urology patients understand cancer risks.
Under the partnership, affiliates of Solaris Health will use Velsera’s genetic interpretation and clinical reporting platform, Clinical Genomics Workspace (CGW), to provide inherited cancer testing through their own labs.
The testing will be made available to cancer patients and their treating physicians at multiple sites around the US to enhance patient care.
Solaris Health said that its affiliated urology practices are the first to offer in-house genetic testing to their patients.
The collaboration with Velsera, which supplied essential technology, services, and expertise, is expected to make this guideline-based testing more widely accessible in the US.
The testing informs patients treated by doctors in clinics linked with Solaris Health whether they are at risk for other types of cancer. It may also reveal whether other members of their family are also at risk.
Solaris Health chairman Deepak Kapoor said: “The partnership with Velsera has greatly accelerated the ability of affiliated practices to offer this vital genetic testing to patients.
“Patients are provided cutting-edge diagnostics and care locally with the doctors they know and trust. And they get access to actionable information regarding their potential risks for hereditary diseases, empowering them to make personalised decisions about their health.”
Velsera’s CGW has been linked to the practice group’s laboratory’s genetic sequencing infrastructure. CGW uses the sequencing output and offers tools to create clinical interpretations and reports that are ready for physicians.
The platform combined with Velsera’s professional services is said to offer an overall solution for physician practices who lack resources or in-house expertise to adopt or manage genomic testing.
Velsera chief medical officer Rakesh Nagarajan said: “This collaborative relationship shows what’s possible for physician-owned labs that are looking to offer or expand cutting-edge genomics-based care.
“Whether in urology or in other specialties, improving the diagnosis of multiple types of cancer and inherited genetic disease by bringing NGS-based genomic testing in-house is now more attainable than ever.”