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Clinical Molecular Oncology Laboratory

Open Monday-Friday 8:00 am-5.00 pm; Holidays On-Call
Lab Phone Number: 913-588-6808 

The Clinical Molecular Oncology Laboratory (CMOL), as part of The University of Kansas Health System (TUKHS), is a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited facility within the Division of Genomic Diagnostics. The CMOL plays a vital role in patient care by offering a variety of oncological testing services which are essential to help clinicians provide tailored cancer management plans. For the KU Cancer Center to provide the best possible care for our patients, Dr. Godwin founded this state-of-the-art testing laboratory in 2011 within the University of Kansas Medical Center to guide care by our oncologists. In 2019, the CMOL was integrated within TUKHS. The services provided by the CMOL have grown significantly over the years, now performing over 500 tests/month (>6,000 annually) to address the growing needs of our physicians and patients, including the introduction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels in 2016. 

The CMOL occupies ~2,000 sq. ft. of clinical laboratory space on the KUMC campus and is led by Drs. Stephen Hyter (Assistant Director, CMOL), Andrew K. Godwin (Director, CMOL; Deputy Director, KUCC) and Daniel Farrell (Molecular Pathologist). The CMOL specializes in providing oncologic molecular diagnoses as well as companion diagnoses to patients from TUKHS, outside hospitals and private practices, with the goal of making precision medicine a reality for patients through the identification of genetic or genomic alterations present in cancer. The mutation statuses of individual genes that contribute to the regulation of cancer progression are important factors in a patient’s response to anti-cancer therapies. The CMOL staff develops and provides molecular testing services for the purpose of identifying the mutations that define the treatment-sensitive or -resistant elements of a tumor to help clinicians tailor cancer management strategies to individual patients. At the request and direction of health care providers, the CMOL receives tumor specimens from patients (e.g., formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, peripheral blood, or bone marrow aspirate), extracts high-quality genetic material using manual and semi-automated extraction methods, performs testing using PCR, NGS and other molecular techniques for mutational status determination, and prepares reports of results. In addition, we provide up-to-date recommendations for relevant treatments and clinical trial opportunities and contribute to review of cases during our molecular tumor boards. The CMOL also supports clinical trial patient selection under the rigorous day-to-day operational standards of a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory. The tests are performed on a variety of solid tumor types and hematologic malignancies with turn-around times of 2-14 days (depending on testing platform) so that the CMOL can bring high-quality, rapid, and accurate molecular diagnostic testing to patient care at TUKHS. 

Overall, the CMOL will continue to play an increasingly important role within TUKHS both as an active collaborator with clinically driven research projects and as a partner with healthcare providers to bring patients high-quality, personalized care.

Tests Performed

The CMOL offers a variety of PCR- and NGS-based tests:

  • Single gene analytes, including AKT1, AKT2, BRAF, CALR, CEBPA, EGFR, FLT3 TKD, HRAS, IDH1, IDH2, JAK2, KIT, KRAS, MPL, MYD88, NOTCH1, NPM1, NRAS, PIK3CA, PTEN, and TP53 (NGS and RT-PCR).
  • BCR/ABL1, p210 quantitative monitoring (RT-PCR).
  • Rapid BRAF, EGFR, FLT3 ITD/TKD, TP53 and MSI (Fragment analysis, RT-PCR and melting curve analysis).
  • Small gene panels for solid tumors including colorectal, GIST, glioma, lung, and melanoma (NGS).
  • Large gene panels, including a 141-gene hematological malignancy panel and a 275-gene solid tumor gene panel (NGS).
  • RNA Fusion panel, including 107 specific RNA fusions, MET exon 14 skipping, and 3’ - 5’ imbalance ratios (NGS).
  • A comprehensive NGS panel of over 500 genes encompassing hotspot mutations, copy-number variation (CNV), structural variants including fusion driver genes, microsatellite instability/stability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (available in early 2022).

For Further Inquiry Contact:

Andrew K. Godwin, PhD, Director of the CMOL, The University of Kansas Health System, WHE 4019, agodwin@kumc.edu 

Stephen Hyter, PhD, MB(ASCP), Assistant Director, The University of Kansas Health System, WHE 4005, 913-945-6388, shyter@kumc.edu 

Jennifer Crow, PhD, Senior Scientist, The University of Kansas Health System, WHE G002, 913-945-7492, jcrow@kumc.edu 

Sarah Schmitt, MS, MB(ASCP)CM, Laboratory Manager, The University of Kansas Health System, WHE 4005, 913-945-6391, sschmitt@kumc.edu 

Ronald Ayoub, PhD, Bioinformatics Manager, The University of Kansas Health System, rayoub@kumc.edu 

Daniel Farrell, MD, Molecular Pathologist, The University of Kansas Health System, 913-588-1102, dfarrell3@kumc.edu 

Patrick R. Gonzales, PhD, FACMG, DABMGG, Clinical Consultant, The University of Kansas Health System, 913-574-0288, pgonzales@kumc.edu 

Shivani Golem, PhD, FACMG, DABMGG, Clinical Consultant, The University of Kansas Health System, 913-945-6002, sgolem@kumc.edu 

KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Mail Stop 3045
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: 913-588-7070
Fax: 913-588-7073