Iressa/Tarceva Users Testing Info

[Fay A.]

http://www.hpcgg.org/news.html#G

HPCGG LAUNCHES TEST FOR EGFR

On August 2, 2004, the HPCGG's Laboratory for Molecular Medicine (LMM), in cooperation with the pathology laboratories of both Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, launched the first clinical test for detection of mutations in the kinase domain of EGFR, the gene encoding the epidermal growth factor receptor. In April of this year, two teams of investigators, one led by Thomas Lynch, M.D. and Daniel Haber, M.D., Ph.D. at Massachusetts General Hospital and one by Bruce Johnson, M.D. and Matthew Meyerson, M.D., Ph.D. at the Dana Farber Cancer Center, established the connection between tumor responsiveness of non-small cell lung cancer to the anti-cancer drug gefitinib (Iressa) and the presence of somatic mutations in EGFR.

The EGFR sequencing assay in the LMM is overseen by Victoria Joshi, Ph.D., and is offered in collaboration with Janina Longtine, M.D. and Neal Lindeman, M.D. of Brigham and Women's Hospital and with David Louis, M.D. and Eugene Mark, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital. For more information about EGFR sequencing, contact the LMM by calling (617) 768-8500 or by email: lmm@partners.org.

I think this was originally posted by LisaRN, but I can't swear to it. At any rate if you are wondering if your tumors will repsond to the EGFR inhibitors you might want to check this out.