Grail LLC has presented data showing that when added to standard screening procedures for breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancers, its Galleri circulating tumor DNA test led to a sevenfold increase in the number of cancers detected.
Gritstone Bio Inc. has had a tough year and new interim phase II data of Granite haven’t helped. The company called the progression-free survival results “encouraging” in the ongoing phase II/III trial of its personalized neoantigen-targeting immunotherapy for treating front-line microsatellite stable colorectal cancer.
Phase II/III results from Gritstone Bio Inc. with Granite, a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine for colorectal cancer, turned up the opposite of what some investors expected, and the company’s shares (NASDAQ:GRTS) ended April 2 at $1.20, down $1.15, or 49%.
Illumina Inc. launched the next generation of its distributed liquid biopsy assay for genomic profiling. The updated Trusight Oncology (TSO) ctDNA v2, currently available for research use only, allows comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) of circulating tumor DNA with only a blood sample.
As investors await phase II/III data from Gritstone Bio Inc.’s closely watched trial with Granite, an individualized neoantigen vaccine for microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer, Wall Street was busy handicapping odds for firm’s new approach, given the struggles by personalized methods generally.
The most comprehensive study to date of how lung cancer evolves in response to selection pressures indicates the genetic profile at diagnosis can be used to predict how a tumor is likely to progress, opening up new prospects for personalized medicine and potential therapeutic targets. The data were generated in Tracerx (Tracking cancer evolution through therapy), a £14 million (US$17.4 million) study funded by the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) with the aim of defining how clonal heterogeneity of tumor cells affects the risk of recurrence and survival.
Haystack Oncology Inc. has launched with a $56 million series A round to commercialize technology using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) following surgery for early-stage cancers.
C2i Genomics Inc. reported the formal launch of its C2inform minimal residual disease diagnostic across Europe, after obtaining CE marking for the cancer test. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company also has completed several clinical trials it ran with research partners to validate the technology and will be presenting data in different cancers at the American Association for Cancer Research in New Orleans, April 8-13.
LONDON – Neogenomics Inc. reported it plans to acquire Inivata Ltd., taking up a $390 million fixed price option to purchase the liquid biopsy specialist eight months early. The option was agreed to in May 2020, when Neogenomics made a $25 million minority equity investment in Inivata and was granted the right to acquire the rest of the company by the end of 2021.
LONDON – Following circulating tumor cells and cell-free tumor DNA, a new type of liquid biopsy is poised for commercial rollout after Datar Cancer Genetics Ltd. secured CE marking for Trublood, a method for isolating tumor cell clusters. In fact, the clusters do not consist solely of tumor cells, but can also include endothelial cells, erythrocytes, stromal cells, leukocytes, platelets, and cancer-associated fibroblasts. They are held together by cell-to cell-adhesion proteins.
