Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Cantor Fitzgerald Initiates Coverage of Trovagene with Buy Rating

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Cantor Fitzgerald on Monday initiated coverage of molecular diagnostics firm Trovagene with a Buy rating and a $10 price target on the company's stock.

In a research report, analyst Sung Ji Nam said that the San Diego-based firm's technology platform is capable of analyzing systemic cell-free DNA and RNA isolated from urine and could be used as a non-invasive diagnostic with applications across multiple disease areas and health conditions, including cancer, infectious diseases, transplant medicine, and prenatal diagnostics.

Research around the use of circulating biomarkers, such as circulating tumor cells and cell-free nucleic acids as surrogates for tumor tissue biopsies and/or radiological imaging is growing, Nam said, and "[g]iven compelling early data … associated with Trovagene's transrenal nucleic acid (trNA) assays, we think there will be increased interest among leading cancer centers in further exploring trNA for clinical utility."

She said that further clinical validation of the technology is necessary and acknowledged that the reimbursement landscape is challenging for "novel, complex diagnostics," but added that the market potential for Trovagene's trNA assays as liquid biopsies to complement or replace tumor tissue biopsies is significant, "particularly in situations where tissue biopsies are highly invasive or costly."

Ultimately, Trovagene's assays could be used as tools for cancer screening, prognosis, and treatment, Nam said.

She also cited recent deals the company has signed with Illumina to assess Trovagene's technology and with PerkinElmer to develop assays, and said in her report that because of the potential of Trovagene's transrenal molecular diagnostic platform in other disease areas, she believes Trovagene will pursue other partnerships focused on development and commercialization.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.