New Veracyte/GE Partnership May Lead To Improved IPF Diagnosis

The molecular diagnostic company Veracyte, Inc. and the multinational conglomerate corporation GE have established a research partnership focused on developing novel solutions able to improve the diagnosis of diseases such as Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the collaboration.

Veracyte will work in collaboration with GE Ventures, GE Healthcare, and the GE Global Research Center in order to study the combination of genomic technology from Veracyte and digital imaging technology from GE. According to the partnership agreement, the two companies plan to identify features from raw imaging data that, when combined with genomic information, have the potential to elucidate useful, new information to further address unmet clinical needs in diseases such as IPF.

“We are delighted to work with GE, a world leader in medical imaging, to explore the concept of deriving innovative diagnostic approaches from a combination of digital imaging and genomic technologies — with a goal of improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs,” stated the president and CEO of Veracyte, Bonnie H. Anderson.

“This research opportunity is uniquely enabled by our vast database of clinical, imaging and genomic data, which we have assembled through the rigorous prospective, multicenter clinical trials used to develop and validate our genomic tests,” continued Anderson in a press release about the partnership, as GE Ventures was already an investor in Veracyte.

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Veracyte is currently developing and studying a molecular classifier differentiating interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) such as IPF. Last year the company presented the first proof-of-concept data on a classifier that was designed to improve diagnosis of the pulmonary diseases. Since these medical conditions are difficult to diagnose, the goal is to provide an early differential diagnosis without risky, invasive surgery able to significantly also improve treatment decisions.

In addition, the company recently launched a novel genomic test to resolve ambiguity in lung cancer diagnosis, called the Percepta Bronchial Genomic Classifier. “We’re excited to expand upon our partnership with Veracyte’s industry leading team, and believe this research collaboration will help to further shape the new age of patient care and improve upon disease diagnosis,” added the director of healthcare ventures at GE Ventures, Ruchita Sinha.