Personalis’ NeXT Personal® liquid biopsy assay
will be deployed in a collaboration for TRACERx to assess
approaches for earlier lung cancer recurrence post-surgery and for
relapse
Personalis, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSNL), Cancer Research UK’s Cancer
Research Horizons, University College London (UCL), and the Francis
Crick Institute today announced a collaboration to deploy NeXT
Personal, a personalized liquid biopsy-based research assay, for
the TRACERx study, a groundbreaking lung cancer initiative funded
by Cancer Research UK.
Previously reported findings from the TRACERx study have
transformed our understanding of the evolution of the most common
type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the
TRACERx research team is taking practical steps to make precision
medicine for lung cancer patients a reality. The study will utilize
Personalis’ NeXT Personal assay, which has demonstrated high
sensitivity for detecting a key marker – circulating tumor DNA
(ctDNA) – from a patient’s blood sample, with the goal of enabling
earlier detection of residual or recurrent cancer.
The current standard of care for NSCLC relapse detection is
primarily focused on imaging modalities such as the CT scan, which
are known to be limited in their sensitivity. The collaboration is
focused on addressing this challenge through advanced ctDNA
analysis. As part of TRACERx, the teams will use NeXT Personal to
identify and track minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients
post-surgery, potentially before relapse is detected through
standard of care technologies.
“Thanks to the TRACERx study, we’ve already seen the importance
of ctDNA in predicting cancer recurrence in an initial cohort of
patients,” said Professor Charles Swanton, MD, PhD, University
College London (UCL) and the Francis Crick Institute, and Cancer
Research UK's chief clinician and lead researcher of TRACERx.
“Personalis’ highly sensitive NeXT Personal assay will allow us to
achieve a rich understanding of the complex tumour ecosystem,
including by tracking clinically-relevant ctDNA variants at
recurrence, and ultimately allowing us to make more informed
decisions about patient care.”
"The TRACERx study is greatly advancing our understanding of
lung cancer and cancer biology more broadly. Our high sensitivity
NeXT Personal MRD assay is uniquely poised to support the study by
providing insights about how tumor biology changes over time and by
enabling earlier detection of MRD and cancer recurrence. We believe
this collaboration will ultimately contribute to an advanced
standard of care for cancer patients," said Richard Chen, MS, MD,
Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of R&D at
Personalis.
About NeXT Personal
NeXT Personal is a next-generation, tumor-informed liquid biopsy
assay designed to detect and quantify MRD and recurrence in
patients previously diagnosed with cancer. The assay is designed to
deliver industry-leading MRD sensitivity down to the 1
part-per-million range, an approximately 10- to 100-fold
improvement over other available technologies. It leverages whole
genome sequencing of a patient’s tumor to identify up to 1,800
specially selected somatic variants that are subsequently used to
create a personalized liquid biopsy panel for each patient. This
may enable earlier detection across a broader variety of cancers
and stages, including typically challenging early-stage, low
mutational burden, and low-shedding cancers. NeXT Personal is also
designed to simultaneously detect and quantify clinically relevant
mutations in ctDNA that may be used in the future to help guide
therapy when cancer is detected. These include known targetable
cancer mutations, drug resistance mutations, and new variants that
can emerge and change over time, especially under therapeutic
pressure.
About Personalis
At Personalis, we are transforming the active management of
cancer through breakthrough personalized testing. We aim to drive a
new paradigm for cancer management, guiding care from biopsy
through the life of the patient. Our highly sensitive assays
combine tumor-and-normal profiling with proprietary algorithms to
deliver advanced insights even as cancer evolves over time. Our
products are designed to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) and
recurrence at the earliest timepoints, enable selection of targeted
therapies based on ultra-comprehensive genomic profiling, and
enhance biomarker strategy for drug development. Personalis is
based in Fremont, California. To learn more, visit
www.personalis.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About TRACERx Study
TRACERx (Tracking Cancer Evolution through therapy (Rx)) lung
study is the single biggest investment in lung cancer research by
Cancer Research UK. Taking place over ten years, we believe the
translational research programme is the first study to look at the
evolution of cancer in real time and immense detail. Researchers
follow patients with lung cancer all the way from diagnosis through
to either disease relapse or cure after surgery, tracking and
analysing how their cancer develops. TRACERx is led by UCL
(University College London) via the Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer
Centre of Excellence and also supported by the National Institute
for Health Research, University College London Hospitals Biomedical
Research Centre, Francis Crick Institute and the Rosetrees
Trust.
About Cancer Research Horizons
- Cancer Research Horizons is the innovation engine of Cancer
Research UK – the world’s largest charitable funder of cancer
research.
- We bring together world-leading minds, bold ideas and the right
partners to bridge the gap between research and taking drugs to
market. We focus on the tougher, more profound ideas that can lead
to true innovation, translating them into effective treatments and
diagnostics for cancer patients.
- To date, we’ve played an instrumental role in forming over 60
spin-out companies.
- We’ve helped bring 11 cancer drugs to market, borne out of
Cancer Research UK’s pioneering research. Through these drugs, we
have enabled in excess of 6 million courses of treatment for cancer
patients across the world.
- With access to Cancer Research UK’s network of 4000 exceptional
researchers, and £400+ million of annual research spend, we’re a
powerful partner in the fight to conquer cancer.
- Cancer Research Horizons is the second biggest oncology
out-licensor globally.
- By uniting our commercial partnerships and therapeutic
innovation capabilities, Cancer Research Horizons is uniquely
placed to support translational funding, licensing and
collaboration, spin out creation, and offer a full spectrum of drug
discovery and clinical capabilities.
- Every penny we make goes back into funding the next bold steps,
to help bring forward the day when all cancers are conquered.
- For more information and to get in touch with the team, visit
www.cancerresearchhorizons.com
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity
dedicated to saving lives through research, influence and
information.
- Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of
lives.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that
has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40
years.
- Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10
years. Cancer Research UK wants to accelerate progress and see 3 in
4 people surviving their cancer by 2034.
- Cancer Research UK supports research into the prevention and
treatment of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists,
doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK
is working towards a world where people can live longer, better
lives, free from the fear of cancer.
Cancer research UK's work or to find out how to support the
charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit
www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About UCL – London’s Global University
UCL is a diverse global community of world-class academics,
students, industry links, external partners, and alumni. Our
powerful collective of individuals and institutions work together
to explore new possibilities. Since 1826, we have championed
independent thought by attracting and nurturing the world's best
minds. Our community of more than 43,800 students from 150
countries and over 14,300 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks
boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems. We
are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world
and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the
strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact. We
have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and
research – championing innovation, creativity and
cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not
what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and
contributors. For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened
higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and
to change the way we create and share knowledge. We were the first
in England to welcome women to university education and that
courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We
are UCL. www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow @uclnews on Twitter | Read news at
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/ | Listen to UCL podcasts on SoundCloud | Find
out what’s on at UCL Minds
About The Francis Crick Institute
The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute
dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying
health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease
develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent,
diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke,
infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. An independent
organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research
Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL (University
College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London.
The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a brand-new
state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together
1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across
disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility
under a single roof in Europe.
Personalis Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that are not historical are
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. securities
laws, including statements relating to attributes or advantages of
NeXT Personal or the NeXT Platform, expected benefits of the
company’s collaboration with UCL and the Francis Crick Institute,
expected performance or adoption of the NeXT Personal assay,
Personalis’ business opportunities, leadership, plans or
expectations, or other future events. Such forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from any anticipated results or
expectations expressed or implied by such statements. Factors that
could materially affect actual results can be found in Personalis’
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including
Personalis’ most recent reports on Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q, and
include those listed under the caption “Risk Factors.” Personalis
disclaims any obligation to update such forward-looking
statements.
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Investor Relations Contact for Personalis: Caroline
Corner investors@personalis.com www.westwicke.com 415-202-5678
Media Contact for Personalis: Jennifer Temple
pr@personalis.com www.personalis.com 650-752-1300
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