Fox Chase Cancer Center Becomes First NCI-Designated Center to Implement 3D Genome Diagnostics for Cancer Care
Key Insights
Fox Chase Cancer Center partners with Arima Genomics (search) to become the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer (search) Center implementing 3D-genomics technology as standard protocol across multiple tumor types.
The collaboration integrates Arima's Hi-C based technology into diagnostic workflows for lymphoma (search) and sarcoma (search) through Aventa Lymphoma (search) and Aventa FusionPlus (search) tests.
Unlike conventional DNA (search) sequencing, Arima's platform analyzes the 3D architecture of the entire genome, revealing structural changes that traditional testing methods may miss.
Fox Chase Cancer Center and Arima Genomics (search) have announced a groundbreaking partnership that positions Fox Chase as the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer (search) Center to implement clinical testing utilizing 3D-genomics technology across multiple tumor types as part of standard protocol. The collaboration brings advanced diagnostics based on three-dimensional DNA (search) structure analysis into broad clinical practice.
Revolutionary Approach to Cancer Diagnostics
The partnership enables Fox Chase's Cancer Epigenetics Institute (search) to leverage Arima's Hi-C based technology, which captures how DNA (search) folds and interacts inside cells, into diagnostic workflows for lymphoma (search) and sarcoma (search) through Arima's Aventa Lymphoma (search) and Aventa FusionPlus (search) tests, respectively.
"This partnership represents a true bench-to-bedside translation of discovery," said Johnathan Whetstine, PhD, Director of the Cancer Epigenetics Institute (search). "Our longstanding relationship with Arima has evolved from basic research collaboration to clinical implementation. Together, we're redefining how genome organization can guide diagnosis and treatment."
Unlike conventional DNA (search) sequencing, which breaks the genome into millions of tiny reads that lose their spatial relationships, Arima's platform allows for analysis of the 3D architecture of the entire genome, revealing important structural changes. This expanded view offers more accurate insights into how tumors form and evolve.
Clinical Impact and Implementation
The collaboration will help physicians better identify genomic changes that traditional testing methods may miss, improving diagnosis and informing individualized cancer (search) treatment. In peer-reviewed studies and through clinical use at multiple institutions, Aventa tests have demonstrated their ability to identify gene fusions and rearrangements crucial to accurate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
"Arima's Aventa tests provide the most sensitive detection for gene fusions and rearrangements, which are particularly important for the diagnosis and treatment of lymphomas and sarcomas, so we are thrilled that Fox Chase is showing the leadership to bring these tests to their patients on such a broad scale," said Tom Willis, PhD, CEO of Arima Genomics (search).
Addressing Treatment Challenges
The advanced diagnostic capability addresses significant clinical challenges in cancer (search) care. "Although there have been many advances in the treatment of lymphoma (search), the disease often will relapse into a state of unresponsiveness to the therapy that induced a remission," said Peter Abdelmessieh, DO, MSC, Assistant Professor in Fox Chase's Blood Cancer and Cellular Therapy Institute.
"Having access to this advanced tool from Arima provides a great benefit in guiding the diagnosis and treatment of patients with lymphoma (search)," added Abdelmessieh, who was instrumental in developing the partnership alongside Whetstine.
Research and Discovery Potential
Beyond proven clinical utility, the partnership enables cutting-edge research to identify new drug targets and advance understanding of fundamental cancer (search) biology. Fox Chase will collect and analyze de-identified patient response data, providing researchers opportunities to make new discoveries.
According to Whetstine, this approach goes beyond typical genetic testing. "It allows us to see not just what genetic changes occur, but how the DNA (search) itself is organized, information that may reveal new therapeutic targets or confirm findings with greater precision," he said.
Strategic Partnership Foundation
The collaboration builds on a longstanding scientific relationship between Arima Genomics (search) and the Cancer Epigenetics Institute (search), with Arima serving as both sponsor and guest speaker at the institute's annual Epigenetics Symposium. This marks the first time a leading cancer (search) center has partnered with Arima to integrate clinical testing and research together at scale.
Willis emphasized the broader implications: "Beyond the proven clinical utility for our technology today, we're excited for the potential of Hi-C sequencing to extract more actionable information from valuable patient samples while enabling the development of future therapies. We look forward to continuing our scientific collaborations with the Fox Chase team."