Summit Health Announces Internalization of Genomic Testing Cooperative State-of-The-Art Next Generation Sequencing DNA and RNA Profiling Tests for Tissue and Liquid Biopsy of Solid Tumors and Hematologic Neoplasms

LAKE FOREST, Calif. & WOODLAND PARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Summit Health, part of Village MD and Genomic Testing Cooperative (GTC), the global leader in RNA innovation, are excited to announce today the launch of a newly established next generation sequencing service at the Summit Health laboratory in Woodland Park, NJ to offer comprehensive DNA and RNA profiling of solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms. The internalized GTC testing menu includes tissue and bone marrow-based DNA and RNA next generation sequencing of hematologic neoplasms and solid tumors. Summit Health will now offer GTC’s peripheral blood and CSF-based liquid biopsy, Liquid Trace. This revolutionary liquid biopsy assay analyzes cell free DNA and RNA (cfDNA and cfRNA) for hematologic neoplasms and solid tumors. This testing provides Summit/Village MD clinicians with a comprehensive precision diagnosis and monitoring tools to deliver state-of-the-art precision care for their patients. By running the tests locally in-house, Summit Health will reduce their send-out burden to multiple labs, standardize collection of data, shorten turn-around time and have the opportunity to participate in R&D, clinical trials and the development of IP.

As a member of the GTC Co-Op group, Summit Health will gain access to cutting-edge scientific capabilities, access to a pipeline of innovation in diagnostics, and proprietary technology and datasets for R&D.

"We are very thrilled to partner with GTC in internalizing and adopting their comprehensive portfolio of tissue and liquid biopsy tests for hematologic neoplasms and solid tumors. We believe that this testing is currently essential for the practice of precision medicine,” said Dr. Gordana Katava, DO, Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Summit Health/Village MD.

Dr. Maher Albitar, Founder, CEO and Chief Medical Officer at GTC, stated, “We are excited to add Summit and Village MD physicians to our Co-Op network. GTC was established on the promise of democratizing genomic science and next generation sequencing. This partnership is a step forward toward achieving our goal,” Dr. Albitar added. “The Co-OP model is not only standardizing next generation sequencing, but also providing ecosystem for cooperation, sharing knowledge and AI-based software, and reducing cost of internalizing NGS.”

About Summit Health

Summit Health, which is a part of VillageMD, helps patients with all their comprehensive primary care and multi-specialty care needs. Whether it’s getting annual checkups, raising a family, or prioritizing healthy aging, Summit Health works as a team to deliver care that helps patients make the right choices and stay a step ahead of any issues. Summit Health offers high-quality connected care services covering nearly every medical specialty including orthopedics, urology, dermatology, cardiology, gastroenterology, and more. When patients need urgent care, they can visit Summit Health’s urgent care partner, CityMD, which has 180+ locations throughout N.Y. and N.J. Together, Summit Health and CityMD are one connected care team.

About GTC

Genomic Testing Cooperative [GTC], the global leader in RNA innovation, is a privately owned molecular testing company located in Lake Forest, California. Since its inception in 2018 GTC has been focused on facilitating the acceleration of access to NGS enabled precision medicine in Oncology through innovative science and differentiated business models and practices and has grown through the realization of these strategies to become a leading partner/provider in the Oncology NGS space helping healthcare organizations to tackle the biggest problems in Next Generation Sequencing for Oncology today.

For additional information on GTC please go to genomictestingcooperative.com

Forward Looking Statements

All the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on GTC and Summit Health management’s current expectations and include statements regarding the value of Molecular profiling, testing, therapy, and the ability of testing to provide clinically useful information. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Summit Health or GTC undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.