MBP Researchers Develop Immunotherapy Prediction Test

MBP scientist Dr. Scott Bratman and research collaborator Dr. Trevor Pugh, have developed a non-invasive method for detecting tumor fragments in the bloodstream, which can help predict if patients could benefit from immunotherapy as a treatment option.

In a recent Nature Cancer publication entitled "Personalized circulating tumor DNA analysis as a predictive biomarker in solid tumor patients treated with pembrolizumab”, Dr. Bratman and his team outline how genomic testing using powerful new technologies can detect the same genetic mutations in fragments circulating in the blood as in the actual tumor.

According to Dr. Bratman, "new next-generation sequencing technologies can detect and measure these tiny bits of cellular debris floating in the blood stream accurately and sensitively, allowing us to pinpoint quite quickly whether the cancer is active."

Learn more about this exciting discovery on the medicalxpress website.