MedGenome launches whole genome test for precise brain tumor classification

Bengaluru, Aug 25 (PTI) City-based MedGenome, a genomic diagnostics and research services company, on Monday announced the launch of the CNS Tumor Methylation Classifier Test, which they claim to be the first in the country.

The diagnostic test can differentiate and classify over 90 classes of brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors into accurate subtypes, enabling doctors to make optimal and accurate treatment decisions.

It uses DNA methylation profiling, a technique that examines chemical modifications across the genome, to create a unique profile of the tumor, a press release issued by the company said.

MedGenome CEO VL Ramprasad said, "No two cancers are truly the same, even in patients with the same diagnosis. A brain tumor in one person can behave very differently from an apparently similar tumor in another. Tools like whole genome methylation profiling give us the resolution to see those differences clearly, so treatment can be planned for the specific individual." According to him, MedGenome's new test complements traditional techniques, like histology, by offering additional insights, as it studies the entire genome, identifying molecular changes and also predicting the tumor's treatment response.

The test was first unveiled in the presence of nearly 200 oncologists, neuro-onco surgeons and pathologists, researchers, and doctoral students at a precision oncology symposium in Mumbai on August 22, hosted by MedGenome jointly with Illumina, the global market leader in DNA sequencing and life sciences technologies, the release said.

MedGenome has a global presence with its largest CAP-accredited genetic testing laboratory in South Asia, located in Bengaluru. PTI JR KH