Trovagene, Inc announced recently that collaborations with Genomac Research Institute in Prague, Czech Republic will be expanded. The Trovagene Precision Cancer Monitoring SM technology will be utilized in two clinical studies to early-detect emerging oncogene mutations that are indicative of resistance to targeted therapies used to treat lung and colorectal cancer.
Mark Erlander, from Trovagene, said in a press release: “Genomac is an important clinical study partner of Trovagene, and we are impressed with the Institute’s cancer genomic program. Our initial work examining KRAS mutations in archived samples are encouraging. We are increasing the size and scope of this clinical program to demonstrate the utility of our novel molecular diagnostic platform and its potential to improve the standard of care for cancer patients.”
These prospective multi-center evaluations will gather leading surgical and clinical oncology centers. The first study will be focused on lung cancer and it will enroll about 300 patients; the second one will enroll about 500 patients suffering with Stage III and IV colorectal cancer. Lung and colorectal cancers are the most frequent types of solid cancers that occur among people in Czech Republic.
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“The emergence of oncogene mutations associated with anti-EGFR treatment resistance, which include KRAS and EGFR T790M, is the main cause of disease progression after initial positive response to first-line colorectal and lung cancer therapies. Trovagene provides us with an excellent tool for the non-invasive early detection of imminent cancer progression. We expect this cancer monitoring technology will become a viable alternative to standard imaging techniques, aiding timely decisions on the course of therapy made by our clinical partners,” explained Marek Minarik, a cancer researcher.
Minarik is the director of the Center for Applied Genomics of Solid Tumors (CEGES) at Genomac and based in Prague, capital of Czech Republic. CEGES is a private biotechnology company focused on developing and applying new approaches and technologies to treat solid cancers.
Trovagene is located in San Diego and owns a technology to detect and monitor cell-free DNA contained in urine. Furthermore, the company’s platform is designed to significantly improve disease management and is under the protection of several patents.