Newest study further validates sensitivity of cancer detection test

Catching head and neck cancer relapse early at UHN-incubated company Adela

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A team led by Drs. Geoffrey Liu and Daniel De Carvalho, PhD at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM), University Health Network and Dr. Anne-Renee Hartman from Adela, Inc. spot head & neck cancer recurrence 14.9 months earlier than standard clinical procedures.

They used a blood test that monitors circulating tumour DNA shed from cancer cells.

‍“Currently, the majority of the recurrences are not detected until symptoms or physical findings are reported by the patient. By identifying signals of disease prior to clinical presentation or routine imaging, recurrences can be treated earlier and more effectively," says Dr. Liu, Medical Oncologist and Senior Scientist at PM.The team evaluated a blood test called a molecular residual disease (MRD) test, that can quantify cell free DNA cancer signals to predict and surveil for cancer recurrence.

Evaluated in individuals diagnosed with stage I-IVB human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal and HPV-negative head and neck cancer treated at PM, the full study cohort included >1,100 plasma samples collected from >300 patients. “The test identified disease recurrences up to 14.9 months earlier than the standard of care clinical exam and imaging," says Dr. Liu.

Adela’s MRD test was developed based on a discovery published by our Senior Scientist Dr. Daniel De Carvalho and his team. They found that abundant DNA methylation changes in cancer cells detected in the blood could enable low-cost detection, classification and monitoring of cancer. Dr. De Carvalho, together with Dr. Scott Bratman of PM and Dr. Anne-Renee Hartman, Maneesh Jain, and David Scheer co-founded biotech company Adela, Inc. with the support from Commercialization at UHN and institutional investors to translate this discovery into the clinic. Since then, Adela has been finetuning the MRD blood test to be tested and validated in clinical settings for its application.

“These strong validation results exemplify the ability of Adela's MRD test to maximize detection of cancer signal in the blood. This single liquid biopsy platform can be applied across cancer types, and we look forward to its impact in other cancer types in the near future," says Dr. De Carvalho, also Chief Scientific Officer of Adela.

Source: Research at UHN

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View Company Press Release Here

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Published in Annals of Oncology on Sept 14, 2024.

Full link: https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(24)03929-2/fulltext