Domestic diagnostics start-up CORE Diagnostics on Tuesday partnered with Canada-based Contextual Genomics to introduce a genomic test that will improve cancer treatment in India, the company said.

The test, named "geneCORE Hotspot", detects common, clinically actionable genomic alterations in solid tumours and reports them back to the user in four weeks from histology to a report."We are elated to announce this partnership that allows us to bring to India one of the most significant diagnostic developments in the field of oncology and personalised medicine," said Zoya Brar, MD and Founder at CORE Diagnostics."geneCORE Hotspot is a major diagnostic advancement that will allow doctors to treat each patient in a unique way by identifying the mutations driving his/her disease. This test has the potential to revolutionise cancer care," Brar added.

Each cancer is different and needs an individualised treatment plan to allow patients the best chance of recovery, which can be best identified by genomic testing."The genomics test provides in-depth information on specific abnormalities in tumours, thereby giving physicians an insight into whether a patient will respond and benefit from a specific treatment," said Chris Wagner, President and CEO at Contextual Genomics.The geneCORE Hotspot reports will feature a detailed clinical interpretation, with recommendations based on the mutation profile of the tumour.The test can study over 120 carefully selected clinically actionable cancer hotspots in one panel applicable to most solid tumours.It is a multiplex, genomic assay designed for next-generation sequencing in a CLIA certified environment, the statement said.