HOUSTON, Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Precision for
Medicine and TRACON Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TCON) announced today
the presentation of biomarker results from the TAPPAS phase 3
clinical trial that utilized ApoCell's proprietary circulating
tumor cell (CTC) enrichment system, ApoStream. The study, titled
Detection of Endoglin-Expressing CTCs in Patients Enrolled in an
Adaptive Enrichment Phase 3 Trial of TRC105 and Pazopanib Versus
Pazopanib Alone in Patients with Advanced Angiosarcoma (TAPPAS), is
the first of its kind to show the detection and capture of CTCs
from angiosarcoma cancer patients. Interim study results were
presented at the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) annual
meeting in Rome, Italy.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have long been known to exist in
cancer patients' blood, and correlation has been established
between the number of CTCs and disease progression. However, the
promise of clinical application of CTCs has not been realized
because these cells are very rare and difficult to detect and
analyze using current molecular biology techniques. ApoCell,
recently acquired by Precision for Medicine, employs a low-level
electrical field of varying frequencies to enable the separation of
cancer cells in blood. Known as ApoStream, the technology has been
shown to detect and select significant quantities of circulating
cancer cells, including rare cell types that have previously gone
undetected, from small quantities of blood.
The ApoStream technology is currently being used to evaluate the
pharmacodynamic effects of TRC105 on CTCs in the TAPPAS trial.
"This new technology has promising implications in the advancement
of cancer treatment and may serve two purposes in this trial.
Baseline and on-study changes in endoglin-positive CTC counts will
be correlated with efficacy endpoints to assess their usefulness as
predictive or prognostic biomarkers," said Charles Theuer, MD, PhD, president and CEO of
TRACON.
ApoStream, a "liquid biopsy" technology, is one of the first
rare-cell capture platforms to enable the investigation of the
effects of drugs in development using CTCs obtained from peripheral
blood. "The ability to detect angiosarcoma CTCs is a tremendous
benefit for patient care given the challenges and risks of
obtaining tumor biopsies," said Darren
Davis, PhD, senior vice president of Precision for Medicine.
"We are very excited and committed to continuing the support of the
TAPPAS study using the ApoStream technology to identify which
patients may benefit from TRC105 therapy."
Going forward, it is expected that ApoStream will play a
transformational role in the development of targeted therapies for
the prevention and treatment of cancer, and enable oncologists to
better implement advances derived from personalized medicine.
About Precision for Medicine
Precision for Medicine supports life sciences companies in the use
of biomarkers essential to targeting patient treatments more
precisely and effectively. Precision applies novel biomarker
approaches to clinical research that take advantage of the latest
advancements in science and technology, focusing predominantly on
genomics, immune-response assays, global specimen logistics,
biomarker analytics, companion diagnostics, and clinical trial
execution. Precision for Medicine is part of Precision Medicine
Group, with more than 1,450 employees in 30 locations in the US,
Canada, and Europe. For more information,
visit precisionformedicine.com.
About ApoStream
ApoStream is a proprietary rare cell
capture technology that was developed in collaboration with the
National Cancer Institute. ApoStream enables the ability to capture
CTCs and other rare cells from low volume samples, including
peripheral blood, for the discovery and analysis of biomarkers.
Utilizing innovative liquid biopsy biomarker technologies including
the ApoStream technology tool, Precision for Medicine facilitates a
deeper understanding of the pharmacodynamics of a drug candidate,
enabling go/no-go decisions to be made earlier than ever before.
More information can be found at ApoCell.com and ApoStream.com.
Media Contact:
Louis
Landon, Precision Medicine Group Media Relations
310-984-7707
louis.landon@precisionformedicine.com
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SOURCE Precision for Medicine