April 1, 2015
1 pm to 2 pm EDT

Sponsored by

Webinar Description:

Cancer is a disease caused by the accumulation of genetic alterations which initiate and promote the uncontrolled growth and metastasis of cancer cells. These genetic alterations are the targets of multiple approved therapies, preferentially inhibiting cancer cells while limiting damage to normal cells. Given the advances in the efficacy of targeted therapies, molecular testing of specific genes to match patients with targeted therapies for which there is clinical benefit is performed. Liquid biopsies of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) using digital genomic and next-generation sequencing approaches offer a considerable advantage as they may eliminate the need for invasive tissue biopsies and allow for the detection of alterations in multiple metastatic lesions throughout the course of therapy.

Learning Objectives:

• Background of ctDNA Biology
• Comprehensive Approaches for Detection and Genotyping of ctDNA
• Clinical and Research Applications of ctDNA Analyses
• Future Directions

Who should attend:

• Oncology Research
• Translational Medicine
• Oncology Clinical Development
• Biomarker Development
• Companion Diagnostics

Speaker:

Mark Sausen, Ph.D.
Vice-President of Research and Development, Personal Genome Diagnostics

Dr. Sausen joined Personal Genome Diagnostics in 2013 and currently serves as the Vice-President of Research and Development. His prior research has focused on the development of novel tissue- and cell free DNA-based genomic approaches for the detection and analysis of cancer. Dr. Sausen has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Science, Nature Genetics, and Science Translational Medicine on these topics. He received his B.A. from the University of Delaware in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in Cellular and Molecular Medicine where he was honored with the Hans J. Prochaska Young Investigator’s Award