NEW YORK – Soteria Precision Medicine Foundation on Thursday said it has partnered with Certis Oncology Solutions to conduct a clinical study, in which they'll use the CertisAI platform to analyze sequencing data and patient-derived xenograft models to predict which drugs patients with KRAS-mutated colorectal and other cancers are likely to respond to.
In the study, tumor samples from patients with KRAS-mutated cancers will undergo whole-exome and RNA sequencing, and the results will be analyzed by CertisAI, which provides a ranked list of potentially effective therapies based on gene expression signatures. The therapies will then be tested in orthotopic patient-derived xenografts, which differ from typical subcutaneous xenografts in that the tumor cells are implanted in the same organ or tissue in the mouse from which they originated in the patient.
Response to treatment in the xenografts will be monitored using a mouse-sized MRI instrument. The study results will inform next-line therapy for patients who are out of options and will be used to continue training the CertisAI algorithm. Each personalized study will take about six months to complete.
"Too many people endure a one-size-fits-all, trial-and-error approach to cancer treatment," Soteria CEO Julia Civardi said in a statement. "This project underscores the power of an individual's unique form of cancer and health data to identify personalized, targeted treatment plans and employs emerging technologies that we hope will one day become mainstream medicine."
The project will be funded through charitable donations. San Diego-based Soteria, a nonprofit, will oversee the study and work with Certis to raise additional funds. Certis will carry out the testing necessary for the study in its CLIA-certified laboratory.