The terms minimal residual disease, measurable residual disease, and molecular residual disease, interchangeably referred to as MRD, denote what is left after cancer treatment with curative intent. Originally used to monitor patients with hematologic malignancies, MRD is becoming increasingly important in the field of solid tumor oncology because of its…

In the 1600s, Dutch microscope pioneer Antonie van Leeuwenhoek found various microbes—bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms—on and in humans. Little did he know that nearly 350 years later, the collection of human microbes would be recognized as a key ingredient in human health. Today, this microbiome plays a role in…

Since its founding in 2014, genomic data analysis, interpretation, and reporting company Congenica has honed its decision support and analysis engine via its partnership with Genomics England and the country’s National Health Service (NHS). With a new partnership with U.S.-based precision medicine leader Sanford Health and fresh off an equity…

Studies in laboratory cell lines and in mouse tumor models show an antibiotic developed in the 1950s called novabiocin effectively targets and kills cancer cells with abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which normally help to repair damaged DNA. The research team, based at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, showed the drug…

Mount Sinai research shows how known genetic mutations can cause Crohn’s disease and also highlights a possible new treatment for patients who don’t respond to standard biologic therapy. It has been known for some time that mutations in the NOD2 gene, which plays an important role in recognizing bacteria and…

Microorganisms on the tongue could help diagnose heart failure, according to research presented today on HFA Discoveries, online event from the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “The tongues of patients with chronic heart failure look totally different to those of healthy people,” said study author…

A prototype chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) therapy for glioblastoma that specifically targets cancer stem cells (CSCs) expressing the CD133 marker, when tested in mice bearing human glioblastoma tumors, resulted in reduced tumor burden and improved survival according to researchers at McMaster University and the University of Toronto…

Alex Trebek appeared well en route to surviving pancreatic cancer this past summer when his doctors followed up his initial successful chemotherapy with an undisclosed immunotherapy. That move backfired. “I was doing so well. And my numbers went down to the equivalent of a normal human being who does not…

If companion diagnostics (CDx) were people, they would be old enough to drink. The first CDx won FDA approval in 1998, when Dako Denmark (since acquired by Agilent Technologies) received authorization to market HercepTest. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was designed to detect human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein…

The discovery that blood biomolecules form distinctive corona profiles around nanoparticles could lead to early detection tests for cancer, and possibly other diseases as well.  Researchers, some from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), have demonstrated the formation of such coronas and determined they are “personalized and precise,” according to a…

By Cindy Perettie, CEO, Foundation Medicine The way ASCO started for me this year set the scene for what was an inspiring and fascinating weekend. Early on Friday morning, before most people’s ASCOs had started, I sat in a meeting room in the conference center watching it slowly fill to…

Tempus, a precision medicine technology company focused on collecting and analyzing molecular and clinical data, has raised $200 million in Series F financing, bringing its total capital raised to more than a half-billion dollars. The company said it has raised $520 million since it was founded in September 2015. Just…

Since tumors often have unique defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway, identifying the molecular mechanisms that underlie how cells repair various DNA lesions is critical to selecting the appropriate clinical treatments. Inhibitors to poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are examples of drugs that successfully exploit the DDR pathway and have…

Cambridge Epigenetix has launched a discovery and development program for a test to detect colorectal and other cancers, using proceeds from a just-completed $30 million financing round and exclusive patent rights the company has acquired for its epigenetic sequencing platform. The company is developing a detection test for colorectal cancer…

Sysmex and MolecularMD will partner to develop and commercialize companion diagnostics for precision medicines through a master collaboration agreement whose value was not disclosed. Under their non-exclusive agreement, the companies said, they aim to align and accelerate commercialization of companion diagnostics with therapeutic drug commercialization, as well as leverage the…