The PRECISE assay: Personalised medicine for cancer patients using next-generation sequencing

In Australia, routine genetic testing is only available for certain cancers, and current tests are limited to analysing one or a handful of genes at a time, and for the most common mutations.
Here, we propose to develop and implement a comprehensive, sensitive and rapid gene sequencing diagnostic test to allow physicians to quickly find out whether a patient’s cancer carries clinically important mutations. Critically, this tumour genetic profile would enable cancer specialists to personalise treatment by matching individual patients with therapies they are most likely to benefit from. Just as importantly, the test results may help spare patients intensive or costly treatment when the genetic changes indicate that a drug is not likely to be effective.