Sequenta and Collaborators to Share ClonoSIGHT MRD Data in Four Presentations at EHA
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. MAY 22, 2014 – Sequenta, Inc. and its academic collaborators will share data about the use of the company’s next-generation sequencing-based assay for minimal residual disease (MRD) in lymphoid cancers (available clinically in the United States as the ClonoSIGHT™ test) in one oral and three poster presentations at the 19th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) being held June 12-15 in Milan, Italy.
“Sequenta’s ClonoSIGHT test has been validated in five lymphoid cancer indications, and we are working with collaborators from around the world to expand this powerful assay to additional clinical settings,” said Tom Willis, CEO of Sequenta. “Sequenta is empowering physicians caring for patients, and companies developing new therapies, with the sensitivity and scalability of next-generation sequencing-based MRD detection and quantification.”
Two Sequenta presentations at EHA will show that next-generation sequencing-based MRD measurement provides prognostic information for patients with multiple myeloma. Joaquin Martínez-López, M.D., Hospital Doce de Octubre, Madrid, will give an oral presentation of data showing that patients who meet conventional criteria for complete remission (CR) but are MRD-positive as measured by Sequenta’s sequencing-based assay have significantly shorter time to progression (TTP) than patients who are MRD-negative as determined by the company’s ultra-sensitive test. Work done in collaboration with Hiroyuki Takamatsu, M.D., Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, will be presented in a poster showing that measurement of MRD in autografts (transplant of myeloma patient’s own cells) with Sequenta’s assay may provide improved prediction of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to an alternative technology called allele-specific oligonucleotide PCR (ASO-PCR).
Proof of concept data demonstrating the applicability of sequence-based MRD analysis to serum samples from follicular lymphoma patients will be shared in a poster presentation of work done in collaboration with Nora Ku, M.D., DAVA Oncology. Further validation of the ClonoSIGHT test in follicular lymphoma could allow replacement of repetitive imaging for assessment of disease status. A final poster presentation from Hervé Avet-Loiseau, M.D., University Hospital Toulouse, will address a technical investigation of different cell preparation methods of processing bone marrow samples from multiple myeloma patients.
The oral presentation information is as follows:
Abstract #S1285: Prognostic value of deep sequencing approach for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in multiple myeloma patients
Session: Myeloma and other monoclonal gammopathies – Clinical 2
Presentation Time and Location: Sunday, June 15, 8:00 a.m.-8:15 a.m. CEST; Room Gold
Sequenta’s posters will be presented on Friday, June 13 in sessions taking place from 5:45 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. CEST in the Poster Area.
Abstract #P371: A comparison between next-generation sequencing and ASO-qPCR for minimal residual disease detection in multiple myeloma: the clinical value in ASCT setting
Session: Myeloma and other monoclonal gammopathies – Clinical 2
Abstract #P447: Minimal residual disease analysis by next-generation sequencing in blood serum following idiotypic vaccination in patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma
Session: Indolent Non-Hodgkin lymphoma – Clinical
Abstract #P377: Identification of myeloma-specific clonotypes in diagnostic samples from patients with multiple myeloma using next-generation sequencing method
Session: Myeloma and other monoclonal gammopathies – Clinical 2
About Minimal Residual Disease
Minimal residual disease (MRD) refers to cancer cells that may remain in the body of a person with lymphoid cancer after treatment. These cells are present at levels undetectable by traditional microscopic examination (also called morphologic examination) of blood, bone marrow or a lymph node biopsy. Very low levels of MRD can be reliably detected only by using sensitive molecular technologies, such as the next-generation sequencing utilized by Sequenta’s ClonoSIGHT™ test.
About the ClonoSIGHT™ Test
Sequenta’s ClonoSIGHT test enables physicians to utilize sequencing-based minimal residual disease (MRD) detection as a clinical decision-making tool for patients with lymphoid cancers (blood cancers). Testing for MRD can help determine whether treatment has been successful, provide important information about patient prognosis and help guide additional treatment decisions. Clinical validation studies have shown that the ClonoSIGHT test, which utilizes Sequenta’s LymphoSIGHT™ platform, offers significant improvements in sensitivity and performance over traditional MRD detection methods.
The ClonoSIGHT test uses a two-step process that is easily integrated into patient care. First, cancer cell DNA sequences are identified in a diagnostic sample. Follow-up samples are then screened for these sequences to detect MRD. ClonoSIGHT test results, which are generated in seven days using Sequenta’s CLIA-certified laboratory, are provided in a simple, actionable report that shows a patient’s MRD status and level, as well as MRD trends over time.
About the LymphoSIGHT™ Platform
Sequenta’s LymphoSIGHT platform is a simple and scalable laboratory process that allows each of the several million B and T cells (lymphocytes) in a blood or tissue sample to be characterized and enumerated. Individual cells can be detected at levels as low as one cell per million white blood cells. The LymphoSIGHT platform combines proprietary multiplexed PCR assays for the universal amplification of rearranged immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes with powerful algorithms for the analysis of next-generation sequencing data.
Sequenta has commercialized the LymphoSIGHT platform for clinical use in minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in lymphoid cancers as the ClonoSIGHT™ test. The company is also investigating the use of the LymphoSIGHT platform in a diverse set of immune-mediated diseases and as a method for evaluating the efficacy of therapies based on immune system modulation.
About Sequenta
Sequenta is a venture-backed biotechnology company dedicated to improving patient care in diseases mediated by immune cells through the discovery and development of novel clinical diagnostics. The company, located in South San Francisco, was founded in 2008 and has received funding from Mohr Davidow Ventures, Index Ventures and Foresite Capital. For more information, please visit sequenta.com.
SOURCE: Sequenta