NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Cynvenio Biosystems today announced the launch of a breast cancer monitoring study in partnership with Saint Luke's Cancer Institute.
The goal of the study — which is directed at patients at high risk of relapse after neoadjuvant chemotherapy — is to evaluate the use of liquid biopsy and natural killer cell testing for the early detection of recurrent breast cancer. In the first phase, patients who are scheduled for neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery will get tested. In the next phase, patients will be tested after surgery.
Cynvenio offers the ClearID Breast Cancer test, which sequences 27 genes commonly mutated in breast cancer. The test analyzes cell-free DNA and circulating tumor cells before and after treatment, while assessing the correlation of natural killer cell activity to a patient's response to chemotherapy. The firm said that the study is anticipated to determine whether the surveillance of CTC and NK cells are predictive of clinical relapse following neoadjuvant therapy.Â