Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Inivata Raises $6.6M to Develop ctDNA Assays

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) — Inivata, a Cancer Research UK spinout, has launched with £4 million ($6.6 million) to support its efforts to develop blood tests measuring circulating tumor DNA.

The funding round was led by Imperial Innovations and included Cambridge Innovation Capital and Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation.

Inivata will develop ctDNA assays using tagged-amplicon sequencing, or TAm-Seq, technology, licensed from Cancer Research Technology and the University of Cambridge where it was originally developed at the lab of Nitzan Rosenfeld, who is CSO of the new company.

TAm-Seq is one of a growing crowd of "liquid biopsy" approaches, which aim to analyze circulating cell-free DNA in a patient's blood for the presence of potentially informative or actionable tumor mutations.

Inivata said it is now focused on working with industry and academics to develop new clinical applications for ctDNA analysis. The goal is to be able to use ctDNA to provide physicians with information they can use to personalize treatment for their patients, improve outcomes, and design more effective clinical trials.

"There is major focus on ctDNA analysis which promises the ability to improve monitoring and treatment of cancer based on information from routine blood samples," Inivata CEO Michael Stocum said in a statement. "We are taking a collaborative approach to the development of clinical applications for ctDNA analysis which have the potential to transform how the disease is understood and treated."

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.