- The companies have entered into an agreement and partnership to offer biotech and pharmaceutical companies access to ApoCell’s ApoStream™ technology for the detection, isolation and enrichment of rare and circulating tumor cells across a variety of cancers.
- CGI has immediate plans to provide the technology and associated downstream analysis and profiling for discovery, clinical trial and patient monitoring applications.
- Analysts expect the market opportunity for liquid biopsies to exceed $29 Billion for oncology indications. 1
RUTHERFORD, N.J. and HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cancer Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CGIX ) (“CGI” or “The Company”), a leader in enabling precision medicine for oncology through molecular markers and diagnostics, announced today that it has entered into a strategic alliance and partnership with ApoCell, the developer of ApoStream™, a breakthrough, high-performance technology to detect, isolate and capture circulating tumor cells (CTC) and other rare cells without the need of labels or antibodies. ApoCell is a spin-out of globally recognized, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and licenses key technology used in ApoStream from MD Anderson Cancer Center.
ApoCell co-developed the ApoStream technology in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) over a multi-year period, from 2010 through 2014, with initial commercial delivery in 2013. The ApoStream technology has been incorporated into over 35 clinical trials, including trials for prostate, lung, breast, colon, pancreatic and renal cancers. In a recent global, Phase III, breast cancer trial, which involved 649 women the ApoStream™ technology was able to detect and analyze CTCs in over 97% of the women. In addition, ApoCell has been a pioneer in developing the technology for high volume capture of CTCs to enable precision medicine in the clinical setting.
The companies will jointly work on clinical trial projects that support the liquid biopsy and CTC profiling needs in multiple trials for both targeted therapeutics and immuno-oncology. In addition, the companies will evaluate applications for patient monitoring in lung, colorectal, breast and renal cancer where drug resistance and immune system changes can significantly impact patient response and outcome. The companies have already initiated joint projects where rare cell capture coupled with CGI’s downstream, disease-specific profiling is a critical component to evaluating therapeutic effectiveness.
“The partnership with CGI will broaden the footprint and applications supported by our technology, and assist both of our customers on a global basis. Using the high-performance liquid biopsy and CTC approach to deepen our understanding of resistance mechanisms is a critical area for therapeutic improvement. Gaining more information from the samples taken during the clinical trial process is a key issue for all oncology research groups – and liquid biopsies enable more frequent, less costly and less invasive procedures. Leveraging CGI’s expertise in genomic and immune marker profiling will add more value to the applications that are supported and validated for ApoStream™,” said Darren Davis, Ph.D., President and CEO of ApoCell.
“ApoCell’s technology and platform is exquisitely suited for capturing and enriching for both circulating tumor cells and immune cells simultaneously, without the need of labels or antibodies, which can compromise downstream data quality. The partnership will immediately begin to provide value to our biopharma customers and pave the road for high-performance applications for monitoring from liquid biopsy in critical cancer areas including renal, breast and in non-small cell lung cancer, which is one of our major areas of clinical volume,” said Panna Sharma, CEO of Cancer Genetics.
Providing comprehensive and innovative capabilities for oncology therapeutic development and diagnostics are central to the CGI business model, and leveraging high performance platforms for the advancement of liquid biopsy is an area that the Company expects will further drive differentiation and revenue opportunities. Together, the two companies will leverage their respective expertise to accelerate market share of the nearly $30 billion US dollar emerging liquid biopsy market.
ABOUT CANCER GENETICS Cancer Genetics Inc. is a leader in enabling precision medicine in oncology from bench to bedside through the use of oncology biomarkers and molecular testing. CGI is developing a global footprint with locations in the US, India and China. We have established strong clinical research collaborations with major cancer centers such as Memorial Sloan Kettering, The Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Keck School of Medicine at USC and the National Cancer Institute.
The Company offers a comprehensive range of laboratory services that provide critical genomic and biomarker information. Its state-of-the-art reference labs are CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited in the US and have licensure from several states including New York State.
For more information, please visit or follow CGI at: Internet: http://www.cancergenetics.com Twitter: @Cancer_Genetics Facebook: www.facebook.com/CancerGenetics
ABOUT APOCELL ApoCell focuses its efforts on the identification and analysis of biomarkers in rare circulating cells. We use both standard and proprietary platforms to isolate and enrich cell populations of interest, especially circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating endothelial cells (CECs), as well as additional rare cell types including stem cells. Our unique biomarker technologies using liquid biopsies facilitate a deeper understanding of the pharmacodynamics of a drug candidate, enabling go/no go decisions to be made earlier than ever before. Our molecular profiling can facilitate patient stratification, establish optimal dosing regimens and improve overall survival, thereby enhancing clinical trial success.
More information about the Company can be found on the Internet at http://www.apocell.com and http://www.apostream.com
References: 1 The 2015 Liquid Biopsy Report – Piper Jaffray, September 2015, Quirk, W. and Nowak, A.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements pertaining to Cancer Genetics Inc.’s expectations regarding the completion, timing, pricing and size of the offering described in this press release constitute forward-looking statements.
Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, risks of cancellation of customer contracts or discontinuance of trials, risks that anticipated benefits from acquisitions will not be realized, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, maintenance of intellectual property rights and other risks discussed in the Cancer Genetics, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the Form 10-Q for the Quarter ended March 31, 2016 along with other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Cancer Genetics, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Contact: Panna Sharma CEO & President Cancer Genetics, Inc. 201-528-9200 panna.sharma@cgix.com
