Lucence and AstraZeneca Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance HRD Testing for Ovarian Cancer in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, Nov 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AstraZeneca Singapore and Lucence announced a strategic collaboration to provide Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) testing for newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer patients in Southeast Asia.

In 2020, the incidence of ovarian cancer in Asia accounted for more than half (54.4%) of the global incidence. Ovarian cancer patients typically undergo surgery and chemotherapy first. Recent studies have shown that the use of PARP inhibitors alone or in combination as a first-line therapy can improve progression-free survival, especially for patients with tumors that cannot repair certain DNA damage. HRD status, as a biomarker, can characterize this type of tumor.

Approximately one in two patients with advanced ovarian cancer is HRD positive. Understanding the HRD status of patients is crucial, as HRD status serves as a reference for predicting treatment efficacy and prognosis. It also provides information for PARP inhibitor treatment decisions and is associated with improved progression-free survival in HRD-positive patients.

AstraZeneca has been actively developing medical innovation partnerships and has launched a global network, A.Catalyst Network, consisting of more than 20 healthcare innovation hubs worldwide. Against this backdrop, AstraZeneca signed strategic cooperation agreements with leading healthcare technology innovators and organizations in Singapore, focusing on leveraging AI, big data, and genomics to assist patients with chronic diseases, accelerate innovation, and ensure that more patients can access the latest health technology solutions.

AstraZeneca Singapore President Vinod Narayanan stated, "Our collaboration with Lucence demonstrates AstraZeneca's continued commitment to integrating the expertise of healthcare technology innovators to assist patients with chronic illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. With advancements in gynecological tumor diagnostic technology, we believe more ovarian cancer patients will benefit from targeted therapies."

"We are delighted to offer this test to cancer patients and doctors in the Southeast Asia region," said Dr. Min-Han Tan, Founder and CEO of Lucence. "It is an honor to combine our strong capabilities in BRCA-mutated cancers and precision medicine databases with AstraZeneca's expertise and resources in pharmaceuticals, helping the community enhance awareness and accessibility of HRD testing."