Elucigene DPYD tests to be used routinely in Wales

Elucigene DPYD tests to be used routinely in Wales

Wales is first UK nation to offer DPYD screening to patients undergoing chemotherapy
DPYD tests screen patients to identify risk of severe side effects from certain chemotherapy treatments

Manchester, UK – 12 October 2020: Yourgene (AIM: YGEN), the international molecular diagnostics group, announces its oncology product, Elucigene DPYD test, is now being used in Wales to routinely screen all cancer patients prior to the start of treatment with chemotherapeutic drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), to identify the risk of severe side effects.

Wales is the first nation in the UK to implement this screening programme and offer the DPYD test to all patients, with over 400 samples already taken and 6% of patients coming back positive. All Wales Medical Genomics Service (AWMGS), which provides specialist genetic services to individuals with, or concerned about rare genetic conditions, commenced a pilot phase earlier this year which was successful, leading to the launch of the service this week. It has led to all health boards across Wales routinely offering the DPYD test to cancer patients, of which Yourgene is the sole provider.

Elucigene DPYD is a simple-to-use genotyping test that can identify cancer patients with Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency, which can cause severe and sometimes lethal side effects in patients being treated with chemotherapeutic drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), commonly used in the treatment of colon, oesophageal, stomach, pancreatic, breast and cervical cancers. 5-FU is metabolized by the DPD enzyme which is encoded by the DPYD gene.

Yourgene will be providing the Elucigene DPYD tests to screen for approximately 200 patients each month for the next year. If 2,400 patients are screened, at the positive rate of 6% continues, we anticipate 144 cancer patients will be prevented from having toxic chemotherapy reactions.

Lyn Rees, CEO of Yourgene, commented: “It is fantastic to see this form of personalised medicine implemented across Wales, allowing the quality of care for cancer patients to improve, ultimately saving lives. Yourgene is proud to be sole supplier of DPYD so soon after its launch in September 2019 and looks forward to similar schemes being rolled out across the UK.”