The Envisia Genomic Classifier (EGC) can help identify patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) whose disease is more likely to progress with combination immunosuppressive therapy, according to results presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2022.
This could assist physicians in making more informed decisions regarding treatment of these diseases, which include idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
In a press release from Veracyte, the developers of EGC, medical director Bill Bulman, MD, said, “These findings highlight how Veracyte’s Envisia Genomic Classifier can provide information that goes beyond diagnosing IPF, providing valuable insights that suggest how ILD patients may respond to different treatment options.”
Continue Reading
He added, “These results further support the clinical utility of the Envisia test, highlighting its potential to help inform diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decisions by identifying patients with [usual interstitial pneumonia], helping some patients avoid potentially harmful therapy.”
Read more about the treatment of IPF
According to the results presented at the ERS conference, of 135 patients with an undiagnosed ILD who enrolled in the BRAVE clinical trial, those who had a positive EGC result for usual interstitial pneumonia had a greater decline in lung function following combination immunosuppressive therapy than patients who did not receive such therapy.
There were no significant differences in terms of lung function decline between patients with a negative result for ILD who were treated with combination immunosuppressive therapy and those who were not.
“Patients with IPF and other progressive ILDs are recommended for antifibrotic therapy,” Athol Wells, MD, PhD, consultant chest physician at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, England, said. “However, determining which patients have IPF or an ILD that will progress is often challenging. This can lead to treatment delays or, worse, empirical treatment with immunosuppressant therapy that may be harmful to some patients with progressive disease.”
The EGC identifies a genomic pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia using tissue obtained via transbronchial biopsy. It is currently only performed in Veracyte’s centralized laboratory in the United States. However, the company plans to expand the availability of the test to global markets.
Reference
New data suggest Veracyte’s Envisia Genomic Classifier can help predict disease progression in interstitial lung disease patients treated with combination immunosuppressive therapy. News release. Veracyte, Inc; September 7, 2022.
