Genecast Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Genecast) announced it has just reached strategic partnership agreement with the global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, Illumina.  Genecast will seek to advance cancer diagnosis using Illumina’s next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Both companies are at the forefront of their fields – Illumina in gene sequencing and Genecast in molecular testing and diagnosis of cancer – and it is hoped that the combination of these two leading companies will have far-reaching benefits for the Chinese cancer patients. 

Under the partnership, Genecast will develop a cancer diagnosis system and kit specifically targeting colorectal cancer. This is the first time that an IVD kit based on Illumina NGS technology will be developed for this type of cancer in China. Additionally, Genecast will also develop a cancer diagnosis system and kit aimed at lung cancer based on Illumina’s NGS technology.

Statistics have shown that lung and colorectal cancers are among the top three types of cancers in China, with more than 700,000 new cases of lung cancer and more than 400,000 new cases of colorectal cancer reported each year. Development of these two new cancer diagnosis systems will drive forward China’s ability to more effectively treat these cancers using NGS based precision medicine technology.

In this IVD development, Genecast will utilize its proprietary genetic analysis tools to enable higher diagnostic accuracy. “We are very happy to announce our partnership with the global NGS-technology leader Illumina. Illumina’s decision to cooperate with Genecast demonstrates its recognition of Genecast in both its development capability and commercial reach in China in the field of clinical applications of NGS technology.” said Du Bo, Genecast Co-founder and CEO. “We look forward to seeing the innovative platforms developed in this cooperation to enable patients to access better medical solutions.”