Circulating cell-free DNA in the bloodstream holds the promise of non-invasive liquid biopsies for cancer diagnostics. Mutations that drive the growth and spread of tumors are present and detectable within this genetic pool despite being outnumbered by vast amounts of wild-type DNA. However, there are no single genetic biomarkers of cancer and so to be of practical use many possible mutations must be screened simultaneously. Current techniques lose the high sensitivity required for this needle-in-a-haystack search once multiple mutations are targeted. Lariat Biosciences is developing new technologies that break this trade-off between sensitivity and breadth, providing for the first time the complete tools necessary to mine the bloodstream for clinically actionable signs of cancer. The Lariat technology pairs the exquisite sensitivity of emulsion digital PCR, capable of mutant quantitation at mutant-to-wild-type ratios of 1:105 to 1:106, with the ability to isolate and deeply characterize the detected mutant DNA afterwards. With orthogonal methods of DNA identification, the false positives that undermine the multiplexed sensitivity of current techniques are eliminated. Lariats initial product offering will be a comprehensive genetic screen for the common actionable mutations in pre-treatment non-small cell lung cancer that will be useful for screening at-risk populations and for predicting initial patient response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs.
Public Health Relevance Statement: NARRATIVE Circulating cell-free DNA in the bloodstream holds the promise of noninvasive liquid biopsies for cancer diagnostics. Mutations that drive the growth and spread of tumors are present and detectable within this genetic pool despite being outnumbered by vast amounts of healthy wild- type DNA. Lariat Biosciences is developing new technologies that provide for the first time the complete tools necessary to mine the bloodstream for clinically actionable signs of cancer.
Project Terms: actionable mutation; Back; base; Biochemical Reaction; Biochemistry; Biological Assay; Biological Sciences; Biotechnology; Blood; Blood Circulation; Blood specimen; Businesses; cancer biomarkers; Cancer Diagnostics; cell free DNA; Cell Separation; clinically actionable; Codon Nucleotides; companion diagnostics; Competence; Complex; Data; Deletion Mutation; Detection; Diagnostic; digital; Disease; DNA; DNA amplification; DNA Sequence Alteration; Drug Monitoring; Drug resistance; Emulsions; Engineering; Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor; ERBB2 gene; Exons; flexibility; Flow Cytometry; Fluorescence; Fluorescent Probes; Funding; Genes; Genetic; Genetic Markers; Genetic Screening; Genomic DNA; Genotype; Grant; Growth; Human; Hybrids; Hydrogels; Individual; insertion/deletion mutation; KRAS2 gene; liquid biopsy; Localized Malignant Neoplasm; Malignant neoplasm of lung; Malignant Neoplasms; Methods; Microfluidics; molecular diagnostics; mutant; Mutation; Needle biopsy procedure; new technology; Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma; novel; nucleic acid quantitation; particle; Patients; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Phase; Play; Populations at Risk; Protocols documentation; Reaction; response; screening; Seeds; Services; Signal Transduction; Single Nucleotide Polymorphism; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Sorting - Cell Movement; Specificity; success; targeted treatment; Techniques; Technology; Time; tool; tumor; Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor; Whole Blood
