Life Science and Medical News from Around the Globe
LAM’s Liquid Biopsy Test of cfDNA Methylation Panel Enables Highly Sensitive and Specific Detection of the Most Common Liver Cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma)
Today we discuss the dissemination of DNA-methylation-based tests for non-invasive detection of cancer. BioQuick News recently sat down with Dhruvajyoti Roy (photo), PhD, who is the Director of Technology at the Laboratory for Advanced Medicine Inc. (LAM), an AI-driven healthcare company focused on commercializing early cancer detection tests from a simple blood draw, to learn about the company’s technology and recent advances in the field of DNA methylation analysis. LAM developed a blood-based Liver Cancer Test, which can be used for early detection of liver cancer, as well as for monitoring disease recurrence. Dr. Roy had presented data from a validation study conducted by LAM on the ability of the assay to detect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer (more than 75% of all liver cancers, at The Liver Meeting® 2019 hosted by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which was held in Boston from November 8-12, 2019. AASLD selected LAM's data for its poster presentation as a "Poster of Distinction." Posters of Distinction are classified as being in the top 10% of scored poster abstracts. (Dr. Roy was interviewed by BioQuick News editor Michael D. O'Neill and the text of the interview is provided below). QUESTION: Why did your group decide to focus on methylation status of cfDNA for your test? DR. ROY: Both genetic and epigenetic changes are known to be associated with the development of tumors. Over the last decade, analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from liquid biopsy samples, has emerged as a promising and potentially transformative, non-invasive diagnostic approach in oncology. cfDNA is composed of fragmented DNA released by cells into the circulation, typically as a result of cell death.