Waltham, MA, May 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exosome Diagnostics, Inc. received great interest from their presentations at the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. At the event the company’s multiple presentations showcased the source of tumor derived RNA in biofluids.
Kay Brinkmann’s podium presentation highlighting the results of a prospective clinical study evaluating tumor RNA in exosomes and platelets was well-received. It has previously been proposed that in addition to exosomes, tumor educated platelets (TEPs) can harbor tumor derived RNA. This matched prospective trial looked at tumor derived mutations on the RNA from exosomes and platelets and found that platelets have a very large amount of RNA, but no sign of tumor derived mutations from any of the patients. In contrast, more than 80% of the patients had detectable BRAF V600E mutations on the exosomal RNA.
Exosome Diagnostics also showcased data at ISEV which highlighted the role that exosomes play as biomarkers for brain cancer. Liquid biopsies for brain cancer have previously been challenging due to a limited, or absent release, of cfDNA and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) into circulation. The presentation from Elena Castellanos-Rizaldos showed that the tumor specific mutation IDH1 R132H can be detected in 60% of glioma patients using the exosome-based platform, which shows great promise in the detection of this particularly challenging disease.
“Our presentations and publications on the improved sensitivity for mutation detection in oncology have received tremendous interest. These remarkable achievements in combination with the commercial success of EPI, our prostate cancer test, have resulted in a very successful year for the company. It is now becoming well established that the combined exosome RNA/cfDNA platform has a much higher sensitivity than looking at cfDNA alone, and it is wasteful to throw away all the signal on exosome RNA” said Johan Skog, Chief Scientific Officer at Exosome Diagnostics.
“The highly sensitive and discriminatory power of the Exosome Dx platform was able to discern stage 1 and stage 2 breast cancer patients and subsequently match their liquid biopsy results to their corresponding tissue, in a blinded study, by ascertaining matching RNA signatures in tissue and plasma, on individual patients,” stated John Boyce, President and CEO of Exosome Diagnostics. “This capability, unique to Exosome Diagnostics, will allow the company to prospectively collect samples from patients and compare those results to historical tissue data, something that has, until today, been elusive in the field of liquid biopsy,” Boyce continued.
If you are interested in reading more about the posters and publications mentioned above, follow this link.
About ISEV
The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles is the is the premier international conference of extracellular vesicle research, covering the latest in exosomes, microvesicles and more. With an anticipated 1,000 attendees, ISEV2018 features presentations from the top researchers in the field, as well as providing opportunities for talks from students and early career researchers.
About Exosome Diagnostics, Inc.
Exosome Diagnostics is a privately held company focused on developing and commercializing revolutionary biofluid-based diagnostics to deliver personalized precision healthcare that improves lives. The company’s novel exosome-based technology platform, ExoLution™, and point of care instrument for protein capture and analysis, Shahky™, can yield comprehensive and dynamic molecular insights to transform how cancer and other serious diseases are diagnosed, treated and monitored.
Visit www.exosomedx.com to learn more.