Trovagene, Inc., a company leveraging its proprietary technology for the detection and monitoring of cell-free DNA in urine, announced it will expand the clinical collaboration with Genomac Research Institute in Prague, Czech Republic.
Trovagene Precision Cancer Monitoring SM technology will be used in two prospective clinical studies for the early detection of emerging oncogene mutations indicative of resistance to targeted therapies used to treat colorectal and lung cancer.
"Genomac is an important clinical study partner of Trovagene, and we are impressed with the Institute's cancer genomic program," said Mark Erlander, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Trovagene. "Our initial work examining KRAS mutations in archived samples are encouraging. We are increasing the size and scope of this clinical programme to demonstrate the utility of our novel molecular diagnostic platform and its potential to improve the standard of care for cancer patients."
Prospective multi-center studies will involve leading clinical and surgical oncology centers in the Czech Republic. The first study focusing on lung cancer will enroll up to 300 patients, while the second study will enroll up to 500 patients with Stage III-IV colorectal cancer. Colorectal and lung cancer are the two most commonly occurring solid cancers in the Czech Republic.
"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," said Marek Minarik, Ph.D., lead investigator and the director of the Center for Applied Genomics of Solid Tumors at Genomac. "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."
Headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, the Center for Applied Genomics of Solid Tumors (CEGES) is a subsidiary of Genomac International, Ltd., a private biotech company founded in 2001. Genomac received support for CEGES from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and is among the first private research institutes in the field of cancer genomics in Central and Eastern Europe.