By Diagnostics World Staff
February 10, 2017 | Quest Diagnostics is partnering with genomic diagnostics company Veracyte, for the extended access of the latter's laboratory-developed test, Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC). This deal will enable Quest Diagnostics to meet growing physician demand for advanced genomic testing services on thyroid cancer diagnosis. Financial terms of the deal are currently kept under wraps.
The Afirma GEC test is useful for physicians who perform fine needle aspiration biopsies to evaluate thyroid nodules for potential cancer.
Under the agreement, the physician client network of Quest Diagnostics will be able to order the GEC test on behalf of patients, and refer patient specimens to Veracyte for genomic testing. Notably, Quest Diagnostics currently serves approximately half the physicians and hospitals in the U.S.
The service will be available through Quest Diagnostics' anatomic pathology business, AmeriPath for use on cytopathology results of biopsies in indeterminate cases (not clearly benign or malignant). The company expects to begin offering the test in the second quarter of 2017.