Adela has completed clinical validation of its MRD test designed to predict and monitor for recurrence of head & neck cancer.
The company said that the results were published in Annals of Oncology and during an Oral Presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.
Adela chief medical officer Dr Anne-Renee Hartman said: “We are highly encouraged by the validation results of Adela’s MRD test, demonstrating strong test performance without the added complexity of obtaining a patient’s tumour tissue sample or building an individualised panel.
“For patients with head and neck cancer, in particular, tumour tissue samples are often not available. A blood-only, tissue-agnostic offering such as Adela’s is the only way to make MRD testing universally accessible to those who will benefit.”
The effectiveness of the MRD test was assessed in individuals suffering from stage I-IVB human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal and HPV-negative head and neck cancer and are treated at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network.
The study included more than 1,100 plasma samples collected from more than 300 patients, while the validation analysis included 484 plasma samples from 149 patients.
During the study, blood samples were drawn before and after curative intent treatment, and in a subset of patients, at an average of 12- and 24-months post-curative intent treatment.
The Adela’s MRD test was found to identify recurrences up to 14.9 months before standard of care clinical exam and imaging, with a mean lead time of 4.1 months.
The study also observed substantial differences in recurrence-free survival (RFS) when patients were stratified by MRD positivity (HR of 35.7 (P<0.001)).
Adela plans to commercially launch the MRD test next year.
Currently, a Research Use Only (RUO) version is available for biopharmaceutical companies and other investigators for use in biomarker discovery and drug development.
