NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Molecular diagnostics firm IntegraGen announced that it is collaborating with the French Intergroup of Thoracic Oncology (IFCT), a network of lung cancer specialists, to investigate the potential of a specific microRNA as a biomarker for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Specifically, the partners will examine whether the expression of the miRNA, miR-31-3p, is correlated with patient outcomes associated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies for lepidic adenocarcinomas of the lung.
Should this effort be successful, IntegraGen and IFCT may expand their alliance to include other types of lung cancer, the company said.
IntegraGen has previously reported data showing that miR-31-3p signatures can be used to predict outcomes associated with anti-EGFR therapies in metastatic colorectal cancer. By collaborating with IFCT, the firm hopes to demonstrate the miRNA's utility as a biomarker for other cancers.
"This study will enable us to explore a biomarker which is potentially capable of guiding treatment in patients with lung cancer, identifying who will benefit most from therapies and potentially allowing us to avoid unnecessary and expensive chemotherapy options," Jacques Cadranel, a member of the IFCT scientific council, said in a statement.