# Validation of circulating tumor DNA assays for detection of metastatic melanoma

> **NIH NIH UH3** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $33,851

## Abstract

Project Summary
Leveraging the high sensitivity, specificity and quantitative capability of the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)
platform, this project seeks to analytically and clinically validate ddPCR assays for 7 melanoma-associated hot-
spot mutations for use as blood-based biomarkers of disease recurrence in patients with resected metastatic
melanoma. In the United States the only commonly used serologic marker to monitor disease recurrence in
patients with resected metastatic melanoma is serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which suffers from low
sensitivity and specificity. With new, effective therapies for systemic disease being applied in the adjuvant
setting, a sensitive and specific biomarker that can identify early disease recurrence could prompt clinicians to
change patient management while the patient has a low tumor burden. Recently, highly sensitive and specific
technologies, such as ddPCR, have revealed that cancer patients have abnormally high levels of cell-free,
tumor-associated DNA (ctDNA) circulating in their plasma that generally correlate positively with metastatic
tumor burden. We conducted a pilot study utilizing ddPCR to detect changes in mutant BRAF and NRAS
ctDNA levels in patients with unresectable stage IV melanoma who were undergoing treatment with BRAF-
targeted therapies or immune checkpoint blockade. Importantly for this application, we found that at the time
of treatment initiation, ctDNA was a much more sensitive marker of low disease burden than LDH. ctDNA
levels were elevated in 71% of patients with RECIST scores < 5cm at the start of systemic treatment compared
to LDH, which was only elevated in 8% of patients. While these encouraging results were obtained with
assays that detect 1 of the 5 of the most common melanoma-associated BRAF and NRAS mutations,
collectively these 5 mutations are present in only 55% - 65% of patients. Recently, 2 functional, hotspot
mutations in the promoter region of the telomerase reverse-transcriptase gene (TERT) were identified in many
cancers including melanoma. Our preliminary studies have also found these TERT mutations frequently in
melanoma and when evaluated with BRAF and NRAS mutations, 86% of patients have 1 or more of the 7
BRAF, NRAS or TERT mutations in their melanomas. In this application, we will analytically validate ddPCR
assays for the 7 common mutations in BRAF, NRAS and TERT, and test the hypothesis that a rise in ctDNA
levels, as measured by 1 of these 7 ddPCR assays will predict radiographic recurrence in resected metastatic
patients prior to routine imaging scans. Development of plasma biomarkers that can accurately detect disease
progression with high sensitivity can augment or replace the routine radiographic scans obtained every 3
months with scans ordered in response to a rise in the plasma ctDNA level. Also it could lay the groundwork
for a clinical trial comparing the utility of adjuvant therapy for all resected patients versus selecting patients for
treatme...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10015828
- **Project number:** 3UH3CA206124-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID POLSKY
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $33,851
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-07 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10015828

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10015828, Validation of circulating tumor DNA assays for detection of metastatic melanoma (3UH3CA206124-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10015828. Licensed CC0.

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