NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The Bladder Cancer Genomics Consortium and the Hoosier Cancer Research Network announced today that they have selected Caris Life Sciences to perform genomic profiling in a large-scale bladder cancer study.
The trial — Urothelial Cancer-Genomic Analysis to Improve Patient Outcomes and Research, or UC-GENOME — will perform next-generation sequencing on archival tumor tissue from 200 individuals with metastatic urothelial cancer. The study aims to identify patient-specific genetic mutations or alterations with the goal of personalizing treatment regimens and facilitating the development of new therapeutics.
Specifically, Caris is tasked with identifying molecular aberrations in 592 genes, including point mutations, copy number variations, and insertions or deletions; as well as RNA gene fusions, microsatellite instability, and total mutational load.
The study is open to accruals at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center — a member of the Hoosier Cancer Research Network — with additional sites expected to open soon.
"Molecular information is quickly reshaping the way cancer is treated and is providing new insights about the biology of the disease that will allow us to identify more effective ways to fight bladder cancer," UNC Lineberger's Matthew Milowsky, the sponsor and investigator of the study, said in a statement. "Caris' comprehensive genomic capabilities and optimized reporting aligns very well to our study goals to identify specific genetic mutations and/or alterations."
In June, Caris was chosen along with Foundation Medicine to provide tumor profiling services to the National Cancer Institute for a large-scale clinical trial evaluating various targeted cancer therapies. The companies were also recently selected to provide tumor profiling services to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in a study looking at the safety and efficacy of cancer drugs used off label.