ANGLE PLC (AIM: AGL, OTCQX: ANPCY) has revealed new research indicating that analysing entire tumour cells in the bloodstream, rather than solely DNA fragments, may offer a more comprehensive understanding of cancer.
The study, which utilised sequencing technology from Illumina, involved blood samples from 27 lung cancer patients. Researchers extracted tumour DNA from both circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTCs) using ANGLE’s Parsortix system. These samples were then examined using Illumina’s advanced sequencing tools.
In untreated patients, all eight participants exhibited cancer-related mutations exclusively in whole tumour cells, with no such mutations detected in the free-floating DNA. Additionally, among patients undergoing treatment, 90% showed genetic alterations that were only identifiable in intact tumor cells. This finding implies that analyzing both ctDNA and CTCs could potentially double the number of detectable mutations, thereby enhancing treatment guidance.
Acknowledging the importance of these results, Illumina has scheduled a dedicated webinar to discuss ANGLE’s research on February 6. The two companies also plan to deepen their collaboration to improve liquid biopsy methods for more effective cancer monitoring.
Karen Miller, ANGLE’s Chief Scientific Officer, stated, “We are excited at the prospect of combining ANGLE’s Parsortix system with Illumina’s NGS assays and optimising a workflow that will enable Illumina customers to offer CTC analysis in the future. Furthermore, as our research has previously shown, simultaneous analysis of CTCs and ctDNA from the same tube of blood significantly expands the potential for liquid biopsy research and clinical drug discovery and development. Information provided by these analytes is complementary and has the potential to provide a more comprehensive profile of a patient’s cancer when compared to information derived from either CTCs or ctDNA alone.”
