The treatment of cancer has remarkably improved because of increased knowledge of the molecular abnormalities that drive human cancer growth. This has led to the development of ever more effective targeted cancer therapies. Considering these advances, the testing of molecular biomarkers for cancer patient stratification has become mandatory. Such tests are performed routinely using biopsy/cytology material from primary tumors obtained at the time of diagnosis. Next generation sequencing solution presents several advantages and current guidelines suggest NGS as first line molecular test to be performed. An additional aspect to consider is time to result. Any test is only effective is it provides its information in time to be considered for medical intervention. In particular, cancer molecular testing where the time window to initiate treatment are days. Here we will discuss the Ion Torrent Genexus System, the first turnkey NGS solution that automates the specimen-to-report workflow and can deliver results in a single day. This talk will focus on different aspects surrounding the system, from technological developments to analytical validation and clinical implementation.

Learning Objectives:

1. The importance of biomarker testing for precision medicine

2. How to implement biomarker using next generation sequencing