LONDON - ANGLE plc, a leading liquid biopsy company, has announced a significant development in cancer treatment strategy, utilizing its Parsortix system in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The trial, conducted by Professor Nicola Aceto's team at ETH Zurich and published in Nature Medicine, used the Parsortix system to identify metastatic breast cancer patients with circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters for targeted treatment with the drug digoxin.
The Parsortix system's ability to isolate CTC clusters from blood samples was instrumental in selecting patients for the trial, which aimed to dissociate these clusters known to significantly increase metastatic potential. The primary endpoint was met, with a notable reduction in CTC cluster size observed in patients treated with digoxin, a repurposed FDA-approved drug.
This groundbreaking study suggests a new direction for cancer treatment, focusing on preventing or suppressing metastasis, which is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. While the trial did not assess clinical outcomes, it provides evidence supporting the development of treatments targeting the metastatic process.
The Parsortix system, already established in the Aceto Lab, is anticipated to be crucial in the pre-clinical and clinical development of novel compounds designed to disrupt CTC clusters. These efforts are further supported by PAGE Therapeutics, co-founded by Professor Aceto, which aims to develop drugs targeting metastatic spread.
CTC clusters, which are more resistant to cancer drugs and can evade the immune system, pose a significant challenge in treating metastatic cancer. The Parsortix system's patented technology allows for the isolation of these clusters, providing a unique approach to advancing cancer treatment.
Professor Aceto highlighted the uncharted opportunity for targeted agents that disrupt metastatic causes, while ANGLE's Chief Scientific Officer, Karen Miller, expressed optimism about the Parsortix system's role in reducing metastatic disease burden and improving patient outcomes.
This research represents a promising step toward a new class of drugs that could profoundly improve treatment success and patient survival across all solid tumors. The information for this article is based on a press release statement.
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