Touchstone Innovations : Addario Lung Cancer Medical Research Institute and Inivata Announce Major Study of ctDNA Analysis in Early Stage Lung Cancer

Addario Lung Cancer Medical Research Institute (ALCMI), a patient-founded not-for-profit global research consortium, and Inivata, a global clinical cancer genomics company utilizing an industry-leading liquid biopsy platform to transform patient care, today announce a new lung cancer study utilizing Inivata's InVision liquid biopsy platform.

The goal of the study is to use highly sensitive InVision analysis to determine the potential role for ctDNA in measuring minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients following surgical resection in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a view to help identify those patients who are in need of further therapy, and also to explore the value of ctDNA in monitoring for relapse.

Bonnie Addario, lung cancer survivor and the founder of both the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and ALCMI, said, 'It is studies like this that will help lung cancer patients as they continue the fight for survival. As a survivor, I believe that less invasive and more timely ways to detect and treat residual disease will truly benefit patients.' 'We are pleased to partner on this study with Inivata and our global research consortium's leading academic and community cancer centers. Our investigators see great potential in using liquid biopsies and molecular testing to help support the clinician's selection of treatments specifically tailored for the individual patient,' added Steven Young, ALCMI's president and COO.

The LIBERTI (Liquid Biopsy in Early Stage NSCLC Resected Lung Tumor Investigation) study will recruit up to 500 patients across approximately 10 ALCMI member institutions in the U.S., led by co-principal investigators Drs. Ramaswamy Govindan, Professor of Medicine, and Daniel Morgensztern, Associate Professor, both at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study's primary objective is to correlate the presence of ctDNA following surgical resection with disease recurrence in NSCLC. Additional objectives include exploring the role of ctDNA in the ongoing monitoring of patients during and following therapies administered following surgery with a view to improving long term outcomes.

Dr. Govindan said, 'The ability to monitor for cancer recurrence in NSCLC patients post-surgery, where existing tools are very poor, would be enormously beneficial for patients. It would potentially allow for earlier and better targeted treatment and could have a significant effect on patient outcomes. The sensitivity of liquid biopsy assays, and the fact that they can be used repeatedly with a simple blood draw, makes them ideally suited for use in this setting.'

Prof. Clive Morris, Chief Medical Officer of Inivata, said, 'This collaboration is part of our ongoing program to establish the clinical utility of our InVision liquid biopsy platform and to illustrate the clinical challenges it can solve for physicians. We are delighted to be working with ALCMI, an outstanding organization committed to improving the lives of patients with lung cancer via world-leading investigators on this important study.'