LONDON – Pfizer Inc. is taking further steps to distinguish its third-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, Lorbrena, from the rest of the field, funding a pan-European trial that will use liquid biopsies to track the resistance profile of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC).

Genomic testing firm Veracyte Inc. is eyeing 2021 for the launch of its noninvasive nasal swab classifier for early lung cancer detection and diagnosis, following preliminary clinical data demonstrating high sensitivity in low-risk patients and high specificity in high-risk patients with known lung nodules. The South San Francisco-based company is developing the nasal swab test in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Inc.'s Lung Cancer Initiative, part of a long-term strategic collaboration that also aims to speed commercialization of Veracyte's Percepta genomic sequencing classifier.

LONDON – A U.K. national plan to upgrade population cancer screening will see greater adoption of genomics and biomarker-based testing, and the use of artificial intelligence to help interpret results. There will be moves to make it easier to pilot and adopt novel diagnostics and to do more targeted screening to identify and follow people who are shown to be at greater risk of developing specific types of cancer.

HONG KONG – Singapore's Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Lucence Diagnostics Pte. Ltd. have teamed up to develop a next-generation decision support tool for liver cancer patients. The visualization tool, known as Liver3D, was designed to reduce the risks associated with liver cancer surgery. It does so by developing machine learning models based on radiology images of liver cancer patients for clinical decision support.

Foundation Medicine Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., has had a busy fall, and it is showing no signs of letting up. For example, in the next 12 to 18 months, the company has high hopes for its Foundationone Liquid test, David Fabrizio, VP, product development, told BioWorld MedTech during a visit to its headquarters last month as the Medtech Conference wrapped up in Boston. "This is one that we are actively engaged in with FDA and planning to submit and hopefully get approval and launch mid-next year," he added.

Royal Oak, Mich.-based liquid biopsy startup Oncocell MDx Inc. reeled in $22.2 million in a series B financing led by Savitr Capital, with participation from existing investors. The company, which has raised a total of $30 million to date, plans to use the proceeds to support ongoing development of its pan-disease immunogenomics platform and commercialization of its novel noninvasive blood-based tests.

There have been three oncology drug approvals by the U.S. FDA over the last few years that were based solely on a genetic biomarker, rather than the location in the body where the tumor originated. But to make this tissue-agnostic approach a reality for oncology patients, detecting those genetic biomarkers will have to become increasingly easy and standardized.