Most cancer deaths occur due to metastases. Among the breast cancer subtypes, triple- negative breast cancer (TNBC), is associated with aggressive behavior and high mortality, which has not changed over the past two decades. While chemotherapy traditionally has been the mainstay of management it is associated with limited efficacy and significant toxicity in this setting.
Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are a new class of medications that composed of antibody linked to active therapeutic agents for selective delivery of cytotoxic drugs preferentially to cancer cells. Dr. Aditay Bardia’s team led the clinical development of a novel ADC called sacituzumab govitecan, for patients with metastatic TNBC. There are number of other ADCs in clinical development targeting other antigens, such as HER2.
However, currently there is no diagnostic test to help detect the presence of these markers in “real-time” and guide selection the “right drug” for the “right patient”.
To address the unmet clinical need, Dr. Bardia will leverage the innovative cancer cell detection technology with his expertise in development of molecular assays using circulating tumor cells to develop a diagnostic test for ADCs and accelerate development of novel precision antibody-based therapies for patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Impact
If successful, the model could be applied to other settings and potentially improve the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced solid tumors, who otherwise have a poor prognosis.
