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| Dr. David Spetzler, President, Caris |
As we begin 2023, arguably the most promising breakthrough in cancer is the liquid biopsy. These are the blood assays you may have heard about that identify biomarkers in body fluids and give scientists valuable information about cancer.
These tests are far less invasive than traditional screening, but are often more informative than most current screening tests.
Liquid biopsies look for cancer cells from a tumor or small pieces of DNA, RNA, or other molecules released by tumor cells into a person’s body fluids.
These assays can identify cancer in the body at very early stages, help physicians decide which treatment will work best, identify new targets in the blood that can conceivably lead to new treatments, and more.
Liquid biopsies allow multiple samples to be taken over time, which can help doctors understand what kind of genetic or molecular changes are taking place in a tumor.
It's fair to expect that in medicine, 2023 will be The Year of the Liquid Biopsy. These technologies have come of age. Yes, more work needs to be done in the lab to hone and advance this technology. But the potential is vast.
Liquid biopsies bring the promise of a new paradigm for cancer detection, treatment, recurrence and even cure. At my last count, there were more than 150 viable liquid biopsy and early cancer detection companies now doing business.
What Makes Caris Life Sciences Unique?
Among the new leaders in the liquid biopsy space is Caris Life Sciences, a patient-focused company that has remained somewhat under the radar as it builds its impressive foundation of liquid biopsy as well as tissue-based work.
Caris, whose ascension has been deliberate and effective, is revolutionizing precision medicine by providing physicians and patients with the highest quality information about their health.
The goal is to develop new targets for a variety of cancers and partner with pharmaceutical companies to move these drugs into the market.
What makes Caris unique? The company provides cancer patients and oncologists with reliable, high-quality, comprehensive molecular information.
Because of all the other advances that we have seen in recent years, knowing what cancer looks like at the molecular level can now lead to better treatment options for people with cancer.
Cancer treatments have advanced dramatically over just the last decade, and it's increasingly important to understand the molecular features of a cancer when the diagnosis is made so oncologists can create a personalized treatment plan.
Regardless of where a tumor is located, its molecular composition tells docs a lot about how the cancer may behave and what treatments may be most effective.
Caris was the first to provide Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing (WTS) for every person with cancer. All molecular profiling orders include next-generation sequencing of all 22,000 genes.
This gives Caris an edge in terms of collecting targets that can actually lead to new treatments.
Big Announcement Today
And on that note, Caris today announced a new multi-year strategic option and license agreement with Xencor, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to apply Caris Discovery to identify novel targets for bispecific antibody drug candidates.
Bispecific antibodies are simply a type of antibody that can bind to two different antigens at the same time.
Antigens are basically any substance that causes the body to initiate an immune response against that substance.
Antigens include toxins, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, or other substances that come from outside the body. Body tissues and cells, including cancer cells, also have antigens on them that can cause an immune response.
Bispecific antibodies, which are made in the lab, are being studied in the imaging and treatment of a variety of cancers, including blood cancers.
I've been covering bispecific antibodies for the last several years as a journalist, author and cancer patient advocate. They took center stage at the annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting last month.
The partnership will put these two companies on the front lines of precision cancer drug development.
It's easy to feel optimistic about this. It shows that liquid biopsies will indeed be an integral part of the cancer treatment landscape moving forward.
Strong Leadership, Bright Future
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with the leadership at Caris. It was a fascinating conversation. They explained to me that what the company is focusing on is people with cancer who have either bad treatment options or none.
The company's novel approach leverages the aggregate strength of its platform to unlock previously inaccessible drug targets in oncology.
"Despite numerous breakthroughs in the cancer research sector, discovering new cancer medicines remains intensely challenging and one of the biggest stumbling blocks is the scarcity of viable targets," said David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D, MBA, president and chief scientific officer of Caris.
"Building on our strength in molecular profiling, an unparalleled repository of real-world samples and industry-leading clinico-genomic database, the company has spent years investing in the formation of Caris Discovery, a platform to identify and validate targets for cancer development," Spetzler said.
Milan Radovich, Ph.D, senior vice president and chief precision medicine officer at Caris, said that historically the vast majority of potential drug targets were considered undruggable, which simply means a protein that is not pharmacologically capable of being targeted.
"But with the proliferation of new therapeutic modalities, the universe of targets for cancer medicines has vastly expanded," said Radovich, who added that these targets will lead to novel medicines that transform patient care.
Through tireless efforts, breakthrough molecular science and a passionate commitment to quality, Caris is clearly on an impressive track. They are moving forward.