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Company News: NEO New Oncology AG’s blood test NEOliquid finds targeted therapy for cancer patient
– Researchers from Kantonsspital Luzern and NEO New Oncology AG publish case study on patient benefiting from comprehensive blood-based diagnostics –
Researchers from Kantonsspital Luzern and NEO New Oncology AG jointly published a report in the December issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology describing the clinical efficacy of NEO New Oncology AG’s novel liquid biopsy assay NEOliquid.
NEOliquid is a non-invasive blood test that identifies clinically relevant, cancer-specific point mutations, insertions, deletions and gene fusions in circulating cell-free DNA down to an allele frequency of 0.1%. In addition, NEOliquid is able to detect copy number alterations in tiny amounts of circulating tumor DNA.
In the case study, conventional tissue diagnostics had not been able to detect the relevant mutation in a patient with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, who had been extensively pretreated with EGFR-inhibitors, chemotherapy, neurosurgery, and brain radiation.
NEOliquid identified EGFR T790M conferring resistance to the previously applied drugs in a simple blood sample. As a result, the patient was treated with the third-generation EGFR-inhibitor AZD9291. The disease rapidly responded to the treatment, with both the primary tumor and metastases shrinking, and the patient’s condition improving. Follow up controls with NEOliquid every 2 weeks showed a gradual decrease of the resistance mutation in the patient’s blood over time, confirming the efficacy of the drug. As of today, the clinicians observed no clinical, radiological or genomic signs of progression, and the patient remains well and on treatment.
Company News: NEO New Oncology AG launches liquid biopsy test “NEOliquid” for comprehensive cancer diagnostics from a single blood sample
NEO New Oncology AG announced today the commercial launch of “NEOliquid”, a non-invasive cancer diagnostics test. NEOliquid is uniquely able to detect all therapeutically relevant point mutations, small insertions and deletions, translocations and copy number changes from a single blood sample, offering a painless and low-risk alternative to a tissue biopsy. NEOliquid comprises 39 genes relevant for the treatment of solid tumors, offering the physician with a rational decision making guide to match their patient with the best targeted treatment. NEO New Oncology AG is the only European provider performing comprehensive routine molecular cancer diagnostics in both clinical tissue samples and blood.
NEOliquid identifies clinically relevant, cancer-specific point mutations, insertions, deletions and gene fusions in circulating cell-free DNA down to an allele frequency of 0.1%. In addition, NEOliquid is able to detect copy number alterations in tiny amounts of circulating tumor DNA.
NEOliquid enables indirect analysis of both the primary tumor as well as its metastases, capturing the entire heterogeneity of the disease. The test can be applied to reveal additional possible therapeutic options for the patient, e.g. in the case of relapse or if the patient’s tumor has become resistant to targeted therapy. NEOliquid is suited for therapy control and therapy decisions for cancer patients experiencing recurrence of cancer, avoiding risk-prone and painful re-biopsies. NEOliquid is applicable to patients with solid tumors, such as lung, skin, breast, stomach, intestinal or ovarian cancer, or in childhood malignancies such as neuroblastoma. As little as 18 milliliters of blood are required for NEOliquid analysis. Samples can be shipped at room temperature via standard mail or courier service.
Company News: Molecular Health Raises €25 Million in Private Financing
– Proceeds to further build commercial infrastructure and drive product adoption
Molecular Health, a leader in cloud-based healthcare decision support technology to enable evidence-based treatment decisions and improved outcomes, today announced that it has raised €25 million in private financing to expand commercial adoption of its healthcare decision engine. The round was led by current investor dievini, an investor in global life and health sciences companies. With the completion of this round of financing, Molecular Health has raised a total of approximately €100 million.
“Big data is largely driving decision-making for today’s physicians, diagnostic labs, and pharmaceutical companies. However, the sheer volume of data that exists today and its continuous, rapid expansion makes it increasingly complicated to digest and apply in a practical way,” said Lutz Voelker, Chief Executive Officer of Molecular Health. “Our platform integrates these data into the most comprehensive biomedical data warehouse in the world and quickly interprets information to generate accurate and actionable insights that drive important healthcare decisions, leading to both personalized treatment and more efficient therapy development. We greatly appreciate the continued support of dievini and look forward to expanding the company’s commercial infrastructure and driving adoption of our solutions.”
“Medicine is in one of its biggest changes ever, as molecular data and information are becoming the new currency in healthcare,” said Friedrich von Bohlen, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of dievini. “We recognized long ago that Molecular Health was one of the most forward-thinking organizations in healthcare, with the unique potential to improve outcomes and health through the power of integrative computing and IT-based interpretation. We are excited to expand our support of Molecular Health, who are at the forefront of modern medicine, helping people in healthcare organizations improve understanding, interpretation and decision making.”
Company News: Molecular Health Opens Berlin Office to Support Growing Demand for Digital Health Solutions
– Company strengthens relationships with policy makers and patient advocacy groups –
Molecular Health, a leader in cloud-based healthcare decision support technology to enable evidence-based treatment decisions and improved outcomes, today announced that the company has opened an office in Berlin, Germany to accelerate the growing European demand for its suite of digital health solutions.
Located on Friedrichstrasse in downtown Berlin close to the government district, the new office reflects Molecular Health´s continued corporate growth and will enable the company to further strengthen its relationships with policy makers and patient advocacy groups in Germany.
Renowned guests at the opening event on November 12, 2015 included Prof. Dr. Christiane Woopen, Chairman of the German Ethics Council and an expert in genome analysis, and Dr. Friedrich von Bohlen, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Molecular Health.