CelLBxHealth has announced the publication of an independent, peer‑reviewed study demonstrating that its Parsortix platform can detect antibody‑drug conjugate targets on circulating tumour cells taken from patients with triple‑negative breast cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer.
The study was conducted by researchers at Trinity College Dublin and St James’s Hospital, Dublin.
They used the Parsortix system to isolate circulating tumour cells from blood samples taken from patients with metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer and advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
The researchers showed that clinically relevant antibody‑drug conjugate targets could be detected on Parsortix‑enriched circulating tumour cells.
Key findings included detection of TROP‑2, the target of the approved antibody‑drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan, on circulating tumour cells from triple‑negative breast cancer patients. Importantly, this included cells with low EpCAM expression, a surface marker relied upon by conventional circulating tumour cell platforms.
The study also showed that FRα, the target of the approved antibody‑drug conjugate mirvetuximab soravtansine, was detectable on circulating tumour cells from all three ovarian cancer patients assessed. PD‑L1, an immune checkpoint marker relevant to combination immunotherapy strategies, was detectable alongside TROP‑2 on the same circulating tumour cells.
A key result was the detection of antibody‑drug conjugate targets on circulating tumour cells with low EpCAM expression. This is particularly relevant in aggressive cancers such as triple‑negative breast cancer. Circulating tumour cells in these cancers may show reduced EpCAM expression or mesenchymal‑like features linked to epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition.
Lavanya Sivapalan PhD, CelLBxHealth Chief Scientific Officer, commented: “This publication, conducted by a leading centre, demonstrates the potential of the Parsortix platform to support assessment of clinically relevant ADC targets on CTCs. Antibody‑drug conjugates are transforming the oncology treatment landscape, and the ability to evaluate target expression from a blood sample could become an important tool for future therapy monitoring workflows.
“This is strongly aligned with the Company’s revised strategy to focus on high‑value CTC applications in research, drug development and translational oncology.”
Antibody‑drug conjugates are a growing class of cancer treatments that deliver a cytotoxic payload directly to cancer cells. Several are approved in the US and Europe for breast and ovarian cancer.
Their effectiveness depends on cancer cells displaying the relevant target, which can vary between patients and change as cancer evolves.
