NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Trovagene said today that it is initiating a new multi-phased research collaboration with the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in which Michigan investigators will use the company's KRAS ctDNA test and assess its utility in detecting early pancreatic cancers and monitoring patients as they undergo therapy.
Under the collaboration, Trovagene and UMCCC will use the company's Trovera KRAS test in a series of clinical studies to monitor the efficacy of pancreatic cancer treatment and to inform decisions about whether to change or cease treatments that are not working.
The group will also evaluate the ability of the Trovagene test to detect KRAS mutatations in earlier stage disease and identify patients at a timepoint where there are greater treatment options available. The overall goal of the project is to assess and publish on the clinical utiity of the assay in pancreatic cancer.
Diane Simeone, director of UMCCC's Pancreatic Cancer Center, said in a statement that KRAS gene mutations occur in over 90 percent of pancreatic carcinomas.
"Building on our prior work establishing industry-leading KRAS detection capability, this program will further develop evidence supporting the use of KRAS molecular monitoring to both drive faster treatment decisions and to detect disease at a stage where patients simply have more treatment options," Trovagene Chief Scientific Officer Mark Erlander said in a statement.
Trovagene currently offers Trovera urine- and blood-based ctDNA tests for EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF, developed using the company's Precision Cancer Monitoring Platform and delivered through its CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory.