ArcherDX is entering into a collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) to utilize Personalized Cancer Monitoring (PCM™) assays to understand the potential benefits of minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in cancer patients treated with immunotherapy. PCM provides tumor-informed longitudinal analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) found in patient blood where the quantity of ctDNA is a predictor of disease stage and burden, and achieves accuracy at low limits of detection by focusing the ctDNA analysis on known patient-specific mutations found in the tumor tissue. ArcherDX and BMS will evaluate the clinical samples from cancer patient cohorts with the goal of advancing the use of MRD detection or ctDNA clearance to potentially inform future therapy selection and/or optimization.
"Collaborating with BMS, a leader in oncology, is a significant step toward accomplishing our common goal of improving patient outcomes. We are delighted BMS chose to leverage our Personalized Cancer Monitoring assays for clinical research aimed at expanding precision oncology into early-stage cancers, when the cancer is typically easier to cure compared to late-stage cancers," said Jason Myers, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of ArcherDX. "This collaboration further underscores our intention to facilitate real-time monitoring of ctDNA during and after therapy with personalized, decentralized assays that can be distributed across the globe and could potentially optimize the use of current and future cancer therapies."
ArcherDX's PCM development program is being advanced by ArcherDX and is supported by a collaboration led by Professor Charles Swanton of UCL and the Francis Crick Institute to detect evidence of disease progression in lung cancer patients from cell-free ctDNA as part of the Cancer Research UK-funded UCL-sponsored TRACERx study. PCM applies ArcherDX's proprietary Anchored Multiplex PCR (AMP™) technology to accurately detect exceedingly low levels of cancer-derived DNA from patient blood.
PCM is a patient-specific assay for monitoring residual disease, disease recurrence and progression of cancer. At initial diagnosis, exome sequencing of the surgically removed tumor or a tumor biopsy is used to identify patient-specific cancer mutations. A patient-specific assay is delivered to the laboratory affiliated with the patient's care team. Clinicians use the personalized assay to measure ctDNA taken from non-invasive peripheral blood draws at specified intervals, producing a quantitative longitudinal view of the cancer's evolution.
PCM is currently available and sold under a research use only (RUO) designation and is not yet approved for broad clinical use. Once it receives regulatory approval, PCM could ultimately expand the use of precision oncology to early-stage cancers, potentially providing faster diagnostic solutions in the future at local and regional laboratories inside and outside the U.S.