NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Trovagene today announced a collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for the detection of transrenal KRAS mutations in the urine of patients with pancreatic cancer.
Trovagene recently completed the analytical development of digital PCR assays for detecting the most common KRAS mutations, including ones accounting for 95 percent of KRAS mutations found in pancreatic adenocarcinomas. According to the San Diego-based firm, KRAS mutations are found in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers and in 23 percent of all cancer tissue samples examined by the Sanger Centre.
"The reliable detection and quantification of both KRAS mutations and wild type molecules from urine could eventually lead to a sensitive method for staging tumors before treatment and detecting minimal residual disease after treatment," Charlie Rodi, chief technology officer for Trovagene, which recently raised $10.6 million in a public offering, said in a statement. "The volume of urine that can be collected far outstrips what is available by biopsy or even through blood collection; this may significantly improve detection."
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.