Beaumont Hospital

BINYAMINA, Israel and CARY, NC, Aug. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoHost, a technology company transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes, today announced that three of its research abstracts have been selected for presentation at the upcoming World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2024). The abstracts highlight OncoHost's significant work in developing predictive models for immunotherapy-related toxicities and clinical outcomes. The research to be presented includes one oral presentation and two poster presentations, each showcasing the potential of plasma proteomics in advancing personalized treatment strategies for lung cancer patients. Oral Presentation Title: Plasma Proteomics-Based Models for Predicting Immunotherapy- and Chemotherapy-Related Toxicity in NSCLC Patients Presenter: Prof. Jarushka Naidoo This study addresses a critical need in the management of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who are treated with PD-1/PD-L1-based immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Prof. Naidoo will present innovative plasma proteomics-based models designed to predict the likelihood of severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and chemotherapy-related adverse events (chemo-AEs) before treatment begins. These models offer a promising approach to improving patient care by identifying those at higher risk of experiencing significant toxicities, thereby allowing for more informed treatment decisions. "The field of immunotherapy for lung cancer has a well-developed focus on identifying biomarkers of response and resistance to treatment. However, biomarkers of toxicity from immunotherapy and chemotherapy are also of clinical relevance, with the potential to refine treatment selection and monitoring," said Jarushka Naidoo, MD, consultant medical oncologist at Beaumont Hospital Dublin, professor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and corresponding author of the study. "These data explore the use of proteomics for this purpose and are an important area for continued study." Poster Presentations Title: A Plasma Proteomics-Based Model for Clinical Benefit Prediction in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Immunotherapy Presenter: Prof. David R. Gandara This research focuses on small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer with limited treatment options. Prof. Gandara will present a novel computational model that utilizes pretreatment plasma proteomic profiles to predict clinical outcomes for SCLC patients receiving immunotherapy (ICIs) combined with chemotherapy. The study highlights the potential of this model to refine treatment strategies by identifying patients most likely to benefit from ICIs, paving the way for more personalized and effective therapies. "Although checkpoint immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has extended survival in patients with extensive stage SCLC, many patients do not benefit, and most patients develop recurrence. Identifying those patients most likely to have meaningful benefit is a critical unmet need," said David R. Gandara, MD, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and corresponding author of the study. "This study describes the development of a blood-based proteomic test to distinguish these patients at the time of diagnosis, prior to therapy. Given the rapid progression and aggressive nature of this malignancy, this assay has the potential to truly personalize initial treatment plans." Title: Deciphering Immunotherapy Resistance Mechanisms in Metastatic NSCLC: Insights from Plasma Proteomics Analysis Presenter: Dr. Itamar Sela, VP R&D, OncoHost This study delves into the mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance in metastatic NSCLC. Dr. Sela will present findings from the PROphetNSCLC™ test, a plasma proteomics and machine learning-based tool designed to assist in first-line treatment management. The research identifies six distinct groups of resistance-associated proteins (RAPs) linked to the immune system, tumor, and other tissues, offering valuable insights into the biological processes underlying resistance to immunotherapy. "Our research showcases the groundbreaking potential of plasma proteomics in oncology," said Yehuda Brody, PhD, Senior Computational Biologist Researcher at OncoHost. "By leveraging non-invasive liquid biopsy samples, we've identified specific resistance mechanisms and biomarkers within the plasma proteome. This approach provides a multisystem overview, bringing us closer to truly personalized treatment strategies for lung cancer patients. Our study marks a significant advancement in decoding the complex, multifaceted nature of immunotherapy resistance, ultimately aiming to improve personalized patient treatment decisions." OncoHost's participation in WCLC 2024 underscores its commitment to advancing the field of oncology through innovative research and technology. The company looks forward to sharing these important findings with the global oncology community. About OncoHost OncoHost is a technology company headquartered in Binyamina, Israel, and Cary, North Carolina, transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes. OncoHost's proprietary platform, PROphet®, is a plasma-based, proteomic pattern analysis tool whose initial offering in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) uses a single blood sample to guide first-line immunotherapy decision-making. The PROphetNSCLC™ test provides clear clinical utility by offering physicians crucial guidance on the optimal first-line immunotherapy treatment plan for each individual patient, with a significant effect on overall survival. Led by an experienced team of entrepreneurs and industry experts and supported by a large-scale prospective clinical trial with over 40 sites and 1,700 patients recruited worldwide, OncoHost is well-positioned to lead precision diagnostics and biomarker development to the next stage. For more information, visit , or follow OncoHost on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Media Contact: Lior Alperovich Marcom Manager [email protected] +972-54-282-4503 SOURCE OncoHost

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 -- The baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score is associated with biopsy reclassification among men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance (AS), according to a study published online June 25 in The Journal of Urology . Kiran R. Nandalur, M.D., from William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and colleagues identified men in the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative registry with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) low-risk and favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer who underwent MRI within six months before or after initial biopsy and enrolled in AS. Data were included for 1,491 men with a median age of 64 years and median follow-up of 11.0 months after a landmark time of six months from diagnostic biopsy. The researchers found associations with an increased risk for biopsy reclassification for baseline PI-RADS ≥4 lesions, grade group 2 versus 1, and increasing age (per 10 years; hazard ratios, 2.3, 2.5, and 1.8, respectively). There was no significant interaction observed between NCCN risk group and MRI findings. "Clinical implications include improved upfront AS risk stratification with MRI, particularly important in the NCCN favorable intermediate-risk group, along with tailoring intensity of surveillance," the authors write.

New research has found that venetoclax, a medication currently approved for leukemia, has benefits for patients with multiple myeloma when used in combination with another drug. This discovery offers a new avenue of treatment options for the currently incurable disease. RCSI research has found that venetoclax, a medication currently approved for leukaemia, has benefits for patients with multiple myeloma when used in combination with another drug. This discovery offers a new avenue of treatment options for the currently incurable disease. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of blood cancer that is newly diagnosed in around 400 people in Ireland each year. Despite treatment advances in recent years, it remains incurable. The search for innovative treatment strategies is crucial, particularly for patients whose cancer is resistant to standard care. In the new study published in Haematologica, researchers at the RCSI Department of Physiology and Medical Physics and the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre set out to identify complementary drugs that would enhance the efficiency of venetoclax, a drug approved for use in leukaemia, for MM treatment. Although previously tested in MM, venetoclax, which blocks the function of a protein called BCL-2, was only found to be effective for a small proportion of patients. The researchers discovered that combining venetoclax with a drug called 5-azacytidine significantly increased its effectiveness across many MM cell lines, indicating a broader potential patient population that could be treated with the new combination. "This research is a significant step in identifying more effective treatment options for multiple myeloma. By combining venetoclax and 5-azacytidine we've seen enhanced efficacy across a wide range of patient samples. It shows the benefits of re-evaluating existing treatments in new contexts to expand their potential." said Professor Tríona Ní Chonghaile, Associate Professor and research lead, Department of Physiology and Medical Physics. Professor Siobhán Glavey, Chair, RCSI Department of Pathology and Clinician Scientist, Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre commented: "Discovering the potential of this new drug combination is a promising development. Our next goal is to test for efficacy and safety for multiple myeloma in a clinical trial setting to bring us closer to offering a new treatment strategy for patients." The mechanism of how the two drugs work efficiently together was also investigated and it was shown that the combination of the two therapies was effective in patient samples from different stages of cancer, even if that patient had been previously treated with chemotherapy drugs. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Haematology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston; and the Department of Medicine/Haematology, University of Galway, Galway. This study was supported by funding from Leukemia Research Foundation, Breakthrough Cancer Research and AbbVie.