Schematic illustration of the scientific pathway for HR + breast most cancers (BC) sufferers, together with therapy and blood assortment. Credit score: Breast Most cancers Analysis (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s13058-025-02016-7
Altum Sequencing, a start-up supported by the C3N-IA Science Park at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and specialised in oncology, has developed a instrument to watch therapy response in sufferers with stable tumors from a easy blood pattern. This advance might characterize a turning level in post-treatment follow-up.
The research detailing the effectiveness of this technique, lately printed within the journal Breast Most cancers Analysis, explains that though many sufferers with HR+ breast most cancers (the most typical subtype amongst ladies) initially reply properly to remedy, as much as 40% of them relapse over time.
Nevertheless, via the know-how developed and the evaluation of circulating tumor DNA (a kind of tumor-derived DNA that may unfold to the blood), the researchers have been capable of anticipate the onset of scientific relapses as much as 68 months earlier than signs detectable by conventional strategies turn into obvious.
“Our goal is not to diagnose cancer, but to provide physicians with an effective tool to monitor the evolution of the disease after treatment,” explains Joaquín Martínez-López, president of Altum Sequencing. “Current diagnostic tools have sensitivity limitations, which makes early detection of these relapses difficult, but thanks to NGS (next generation sequencing) DNA sequencing technology, we can detect one tumor cell among a million healthy cells from a simple blood sample,” he provides.
The methodology used to detect relapses so early begins with an preliminary tumor biopsy. Subsequent, patient-specific mutations are recognized. That is adopted up by blood checks searching for traces of those mutations in circulating tumor DNA.
“The advantage of our technology is that it is very minimally invasive, versatile and tailored to each tumor type. In addition, the cost is significantly reduced by focusing only on mutations relevant to each patient. This also allows us to avoid unnecessary treatments and minimizes the risk of false positives,” provides Marina Planas, CEO of Altum Sequencing.
The potential of this innovation goes past breast most cancers, because the know-how is relevant to any sort of stable tumor. The researchers are due to this fact working to acquire the required regulatory approvals in each Europe and the USA with the intention of creating this instrument obtainable in hospitals world wide.
“We started with hematological cancers such as multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia, but we are already seeing good results in lung cancers as well, so our goal is to transform cancer monitoring. Today, we can detect one cell in a million. In the future, it will be one in 10 million,” concludes the CEO.
The corporate plans to advance the mixing of rising applied sciences with the implementation of generative synthetic intelligence all through this 12 months. After incorporating machine studying algorithms into its processes, its aim now could be to make use of this new know-how to enhance diagnostic accuracy, optimize the difference of remedies and supply extra helpful and personalised info to sufferers.
Extra info:
Iñaki Comino-Méndez et al, Identification of minimal residual illness utilizing the clonesight take a look at for ultrasensitive ctDNA detection to anticipate late relapse in early breast most cancers, Breast Most cancers Analysis (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s13058-025-02016-7
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New know-how detects breast most cancers relapses as much as 5 years upfront (2025, June 19)
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