PARSORTIX SHOWS POTENTIAL FOR IDENTIFYING THERAPEUTIC TARGETS IN PATIENTS WITH TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER
Parsortix system harvests intact CTCs for whole genome sequencing identifying multiple actionable targets
Both tumour and CTC samples after pre-surgical chemotherapy show alterations in genes involved in drug resistance
ANGLE plc (AIM:AGL OTCQX:ANPCY), a world-leading liquid biopsy company, is pleased to announce that a leading cancer research institute, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy, has published results of a study undertaken in early stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC; chemotherapy administered before surgery).
Researchers used ANGLE’s Parsortix® system to isolate circulating tumour cells (CTCs) before, during and after NAC treatment, alongside the collection of primary tumour tissue samples pre- and post-treatment, to analyse for copy number alterations (CNAs), through whole genome sequencing and targeted sequencing, respectively.
Using ANGLE’s marker-independent Parsortix system to harvest CTCs, followed by automated single-CTC retrieval, the authors identified and analysed both epithelial and non-epithelial CTCs, allowing characterisation of CTCs that would not have been detected by epithelial antibody-based approaches. Analysis of CTCs before, during and after NAC treatment allowed the researchers to track the individual evolution of a patient’s TNBC, revealing treatment-induced resistance to the chemotherapy as well as the identification of newly acquired genetic changes that could provide additional treatment options. In two patients, CTCs collected after NAC treatment shared more genomic alterations with the residual tumour, i.e. post-NAC treatment, compared to the primary tumour.
This study demonstrates how CNA analysis of CTCs harvested by the Parsortix system, from early stage TNBC patients pre- and post-NAC treatment, has the potential to provide information on tumour evolution and identify actionable therapeutic targets that could help determine future treatment options for patients with chemotherapy-resistant disease.
In the United States, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women with 287,000 new cases expected in 2022, accounting for 31% of all new cancer cases. The American Cancer Society estimates that TNBC accounts for about 10-15% of all breast cancers. TNBC differs from other types of invasive breast cancer in that it grows and spreads faster, has limited treatment choices, and a worse prognosis.
Dr Vera Cappaletti, Biomarkers Unit, Department of Experimental Oncology, National Cancer Institute of Milan, commented:
“The extreme heterogeneity of triple negative breast cancer has led to difficulties in finding suitable molecular targets. This has resulted in limited benefit from targeted therapies observed in clinical trials. Implementing longitudinal monitoring, through liquid biopsy of CTCs, is a crucial step for improving treatment efficacy and represents an optimal approach to be pursued in future studies to implement personalized medicine.”
ANGLE Founder and Chief Executive, Andrew Newland, added:
“We are pleased to report on the use of the Parsortix system for the unbiased isolation of both epithelial and mesenchymal CTCs in TNBC, uncovering potential new therapeutic targets. ANGLE’s ability to provide actionable insights could help patients with limited treatment options and should prove highly attractive to drug developers looking for new approaches for hard-to-treat cancers, such as TNBC.”
The research has been published as a peer-reviewed publication in the Journal Scientific Reports and is available online at https://angleplc.com/library/publications/.
For further information:
ANGLE plc
+44 (0) 1483 343434
Andrew Newland, Chief Executive
Ian Griffiths, Finance Director
Andrew Holder, Head of Investor Relations
