Quintiles (NYSE:Q) wants to find out if “pre-profiling” cancer patients to to get the genomic profile of tumors can help develop better, more targeted cancer therapies.
The Durham pharmaceutical services company is doing a study with participation from US Oncology Research to assess the feasibility and benefits of such tests profiling tumors from metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. The tests will be looking for biomarkers, chemical signatures of the cancer.
Right now, tests for oncology biomarkers happen one at a time, and often only as part of screening for participation in a single clinical trial, said Quintiles Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Jeffrey Spaeder.
“Early indications from this study suggest that we can provide physicians and patients with early visibility on potentially clinically actionable biomarkers within a rapid two-week time frame,” Spaeder said in a statement. “This level and speed of analysis has promise to save valuable time in administering potentially life-saving therapies to patients, and reduce the development times of precision medicines.”
The study will perform a broad-based biomarker analysis on mCRC patients. The primary objective of the study is to determine the number of genetic changes that occur in mCRC patients that set to receive cancer therapies already approved by the Food and Drug Administration as well as patients who are targeted to receive therapies still in development. Results will be reported to the treating physicians to help identify higher-risk patients and help in selecting better treatment options for those patients.
