DXS has added the PI3K Mutation Detection Kit to its portfolio of oncogene mutation products.
PI3K is a biomarker assessed during the evaluation of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting the EGFR pathway.
The PI3K-AKT pathway is activated in a variety of tumour types, resulting in cell growth and proliferation.
DXS's PI3K Mutation Test Kit can detect four somatic mutations in exons nine and 20 of the PIK3CA oncogene, which are frequently found in a number of different cancers, including up to 40 per cent of breast cancer cases.
The presence of these mutations may influence the response to targeted therapies and prognosis.
Screening for PI3K mutations using the DXS kit will aid researchers in determining these correlations.
DXS has used its real-time PCR technology Scorpions to develop a sensitive and selective test to detect mutations at low levels in less than three hours.
The assay can detect one per cent of mutations in a background of wild-type genomic DNA and DXS claims it can highlight mutations often missed by sequencing methods.
