Natick, Massachusetts, U.S., October 5, 2026
Pillar Biosciences has launched oncoReveal® Myeloid v2 Panel, an expanded research-use-only (RUO) DNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel designed to support molecular research in myeloid malignancies. The updated panel expands the company’s original 58-gene panel to 80 gene targets and introduces enhanced capabilities for detecting long and multiple FLT3 internal tandem duplications (ITDs). The launch is intended to provide laboratories with broader gene coverage while maintaining existing content and workflows. Pillar Biosciences says the new panel combines its proprietary SLIMamp® chemistry and VersaTile™ primer design technology to scale the assay efficiently while preserving established panel performance.
Expanded 80-Gene Coverage for Myeloid Research
The oncoReveal Myeloid v2 Panel retains the content of the original 58-gene panel while adding 22 additional genes, providing researchers with broader molecular coverage relevant to myeloid malignancies. According to Pillar Biosciences, only four of the original 766 amplicons covering the first 58 genes were modified to accommodate the expanded panel. This approach is designed to allow laboratories to access additional targets without requiring major changes to existing workflows. The panel is intended for research use only and is not presented as a diagnostic product. Its expanded content is designed to support genomic profiling and research involving hematologic malignancies, where identifying clinically relevant genetic alterations can provide important information about disease biology and molecular characteristics.
Enhanced Detection of Long and Multiple FLT3-ITDs
A major feature of oncoReveal Myeloid v2 is its enhanced ability to detect FLT3 internal tandem duplications, including long and multiple ITDs that can be difficult to characterize using conventional short-read NGS approaches. FLT3-ITDs occur in approximately 20–30% of de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases and have been associated with poor prognosis, making accurate characterization an important area of myeloid genomic research. These duplications can range from a few base pairs to more than 400 base pairs, while repetitive sequence structures can make longer ITDs challenging to detect and accurately size with short-read sequencing. Historically, laboratories have used capillary electrophoresis (CE) fragment analysis for FLT3-ITD confirmation and allelic-ratio assessment. Pillar’s updated panel aims to provide researchers with an NGS-based workflow capable of identifying these complex variants without automatically requiring a separate fragment-analysis process.
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NGS Workflow Detects Multiple FLT3 Variants
Pillar Biosciences reports that an independent evaluation involving 111 myeloid and myeloproliferative neoplasm samples included 23 FLT3-ITD-positive samples with ITDs ranging from 12 to 279 base pairs. Using standard 2×150 bp short-read sequencing, the oncoReveal Myeloid v2 Panel and PiVAT® informatics accurately detected and sized the evaluated ITDs, including duplications up to 279 base pairs. The evaluation also included nine samples containing two to four concurrent ITDs, demonstrating the panel’s ability to identify multiple alterations within individual samples. Detecting multiple ITDs in a single NGS workflow may allow researchers to identify distinct clonal populations, with individual ITD lengths and variant allele frequencies. Pillar also reported that NGS-derived variant allele frequencies showed consistent trends with allelic ratios obtained through orthogonal CE-based fragment analysis. FLT3-ITDs were detected at ≤1% variant allele frequency, highlighting the panel’s sensitivity for research applications. By combining expanded gene coverage with enhanced FLT3-ITD characterization, Pillar Biosciences aims to provide laboratories with a more comprehensive myeloid NGS research solution while supporting continued advances in molecular profiling of hematologic malignancies.
Source: Pillar Biosciences press release
