- AVENIO Millisect System utilizes an automated, digitally assisted process to reliably and efficiently isolate clinically relevant cells for diagnostic testing

- Efficient tissue dissection maximizes medical value for downstream applications such as sequencing and other molecular methods

- Study suggests the AVENIO Millisect System helped reduce false negative results and case rejection rates[1]

PLEASANTON, California, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today the commercial availability of the AVENIO Millisect System, a tissue dissection instrument that utilizes an automated digitally assisted process to reliably and efficiently isolate clinically relevant cells from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue slides.

The AVENIO Millisect System addresses challenges inherent in today's tissue dissection practice in the clinical lab workspace where manual dissection lacks consistency and precision, and laser capture microscopy is cumbersome and costly. "We recognize that streamlining and optimizing the pre-analytical workflow is key to obtaining accurate results from complex testing methods such as next generation sequencing," said Neil Gunn, Head of Roche Sequencing Solutions. "The introduction of the AVENIO Millisect System further exemplifies our commitment in creating a simplified workflow that delivers maximal medical value to clinicians and patients."

In a study published in Cancer Genetics¹, sequencing samples prepared with the AVENIO Millisect System identified mutations from 7 out of 32 (22%) pancreatic cancer tissues samples that were otherwise missed by manual dissection. The study further suggests that the technology helped reduce false negative results and case rejection rates associated with low tumor content, thereby enabling efficient use of precious tissue samples.

"We believe the AVENIO Millisect System offers a much better means to dissect the component that is most relevant for diagnostic testing," said Dr. Bryan Lo, Director of the Molecular Oncology Diagnostics Laboratory in The Ottawa Hospital. "The AVENIO Millisect System allows us to precisely isolate tumor component from our FFPE tissue specimens in a standardized efficient workflow."

The AVENIO Millisect System is an IVD labeled medical device and is now available in the U.S. and countries accepting the CE mark.

¹Geiersbach et al 2016. Cancer Genetics 209:42-49.

About the AVENIO Millisect System

The AVENIO Millisect System is an automated high-performance FFPE tissue dissection system that can help extract the most clinically relevant information from every sample with maximum efficiency. Optimized to fit easily into a variety of clinical workflow configurations, the AVENIO Millisect System allows precise and consistent recovery of regions of interest for molecular pathology, improving the results of diagnostic testing by reducing false-negatives and allowing identification of additional potential therapeutic targets. The AVENIO product line of NGS solutions from Roche will include instruments, assays, reagents and software that aim to make sequencing simple and accessible. For more information, please visit sequencing.roche.com. 

About Roche

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people's lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.

Roche is the world's largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. Thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Roche has been recognised as the Group Leader in sustainability within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry eight years in a row by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2016 employed more than 94,000 people worldwide. In 2016, Roche invested CHF 9.9 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 50.6 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

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SOURCE Roche