Datar Cancer Genetics (DCG) announced the launch of Target-MRD, an advanced molecular residual disease (MRD) monitoring blood test for solid organ cancers. Target-MRD is a blood test based on tumor-agnostic next-generation sequencing (NGS) and customized, tumor-informed droplet digital PCR (dd-PCR) assay.
In patients who undergo initial anticancer treatments, a small number of tumor cells can survive and persist in the body. This low ‚disease burden‘ is capable of leading to a relapse, which can remain undetectable by traditional genomic and imaging methods. Timely detection of this ‚minimal residual disease‘ is now considered critical towards mitigating risks of recurrence.
Target-MRD offers personalized, ultra-sensitive detection and monitoring of residual disease at the molecular level, if any, to assist oncologists to intervene early, well before the disease gets out of hand.
Target-MRD combines tumor-agnostic (to detect tumor evolution) and tumor-informed (specific to a patient’s cancer) biomarkers thus offering a comprehensive and ultra-high sensitivity solution for more effective disease management.
Timothy Crook, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Cromwell Hospital, London, said, „Monitoring the slightest recurrence of cancer in patients after treatment is critical to enable timely interventions before the disease gets out of hand. The dual approach of Datar’s MRD is a significant step forward in non-invasively detecting the earliest signs of residual disease. It has the potential to change how we manage cancer patients.“
