Serum Proteomic Test Could Optimize Treatment by Identifying Patients Unlikely to Benefit from Immunotherapy
BOULDER, Colo. and MUNICH, Germany, Oct. 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biodesix® presented positive data for a blood-based test with the potential to detect a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient’s pre-treatment risk of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy resistance. Dr. Egbert Smit, MD, PhD, a leader in pulmonary oncology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Department of Thoracic Oncology in Amsterdam, was the lead author for the study, “Serum Proteomic Test Could Optimize Treatment by Identifying Patients Unlikely to Benefit from Immunotherapy,” presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Munich.
Biodesix’s primary immunotherapy resistance test demonstrated utility in classifying NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab by overall survival. The test classification is independent of PD-L1 status.
“Anti-PD-1 therapy is capable of restoring immunity and has greatly increased overall survival rates for patients. However, we know that this therapy does not benefit everyone,” said Dr. Smit. “A test that can determine which patients will respond poorly to immunotherapy, would greatly optimize treatment regimens.”
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have disrupted traditional cancer treatment and increased overall survival rates for many patients. Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) is a new and disastrous pattern of progression in some cancer patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. A recent study published in JAMA Oncology found that HPD is more common in advanced NSCLC patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, as compared to patients treated with chemotherapy.
“These data show us that a liquid biopsy test for primary immunotherapy resistance could identify patients likely or unlikely to benefit from monotherapy,” said David Brunel, CEO for Biodesix. “We are working toward validating this test in a prospective study. Evaluation in front-line treatment with immuno-oncology combinations is already in progress.”
The Biodesix primary immunotherapy resistance test uses Deep MALDI® mass spectrometry to probe the circulating proteome in blood. The immunotherapy resistant subgroup in the test demonstrated increased activation in the complement, acute phase, extra-cellular matrix and wound healing biological pathways. The abstract from the ESMO presentation can be found here.
About Biodesix
Biodesix is a molecular diagnostics company advancing the development of innovative, multi-omic blood tests in oncology to enable precision medicine. Biodesix discovers, develops and commercializes multivariate protein and genomic liquid biopsy tests, including the GeneStrat® and VeriStrat® tests, that deliver results within 72 hours. The company is changing the standard of care by providing physicians with diagnostic tests and with the Biodesix Lung Reflex® testing strategy, for better therapeutic guidance, more accurate prognosis and enhanced disease monitoring to improve patient outcomes. At the forefront of personalized medicine, Biodesix is developing new tests to identify patients who may benefit from immunotherapies. In addition to developing novel diagnostics independently, the company partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop companion diagnostics for use with therapeutic agents.
For more information about Biodesix, please visit www.biodesix.com.
Media Contact:
Kena Hudson for Biodesix
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