Orphan Non-coding RNA-based Test for Detecting Minimal Residual Disease in Resectable Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R44 · $1,280,908 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

The early detection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an unmet challenge in the field with significant direct impact on effectiveness of treatments and survival rate of affected patients. The emergence of neoadjuvant therapies and the challenges associated with detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) in NSCLC patients necessitates the development of new diagnostic tests that can help physicians tailor appropriate therapeutic regimens to the individual patient and detect MRD early to improve patient outcomes. Previously, Exai Bio has discovered a new class of small RNAs that are mainly expressed in the tumor tissues, denoted as orphan noncoding RNAs (oncRNAs). Moreover, Exai Bio has shown that oncRNAs are promising biomarkers for early cancer detection, using blood as part of a novel liquid biopsy technique. We have recently developed a novel assay and an artificial intelligence (AI) model for early detection of lung cancer and predicting the subtypes using oncRNA profiles. We have shown in a small, retrospective cohort that this new assay has a higher sensitivity than state-of-the-art approaches available or published. As part of this project we will work closely with outside collaborators to gather samples and test the performance of this new assay for detection of MRD in NSCLC patients and to identify its subtypes.

Key facts

NIH application ID
11008417
Project number
1R44CA291369-01A1
Recipient
EXAI BIO, INC.
Principal Investigator
Babak Behsaz
Activity code
R44
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2024
Award amount
$1,280,908
Award type
1
Project period
2024-09-12 → 2026-08-31