Roche has announced the global launch of the VENTANA pan-TRK (EPR17341) Assay, the first automated in vitro diagnostic (IVD) immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay to detect tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) proteins in cancer.

With the launch, laboratories are now able to identify wild-type and chimeric fusion proteins through detection of the TRK C-terminal region. This assay can be used to perform analytic studies, including prevalence in solid tumors.

While wild-type protein expression is generally low in both prevalence and intensity level, it can be substantial in some neuroendocrine tumor tissues. TRK-fusion proteins have been identified in a wide range of commonly occurring tumors, including lung, thyroid and sarcoma, at a low frequency. In some rare tumors, including infantile fibrosarcoma, secretory and juvenile breast cancer and mammary analogue secretory cancers of the salivary glands, TRK fusion proteins are likely to be the defining genetic feature.

The VENTANA pan-TRK (EPR17341) Assay is available for use on Roche's BenchMark series of IHC/ISH automated staining instruments.