Personalized approach to cancer

There may be better treatment options for your type of cancer

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Learn how the biomarker test helps you get the best treatment!

How does cancer work?

Cancer is the name given to a group of diseases characterized by the abnormal proliferation of cells that can invade different tissues of the body. While healthy cells grow and divide in a controlled manner, cancer cells multiply out of control.

Mutated cell

Tumours begin to develop when a cell acquires a series of mutations that allow it to divide uncontrollably.

Hyperplasia

Multiplication of abnormal cells causes the volume of the tissue to increase, a phenomenon called hyperplasia. Further mutations may occur, which further affect the control of cell growth.

Dysplasia

In addition to showing uncontrolled proliferation, the cells are abnormally shaped. The tissue is now said to show dysplasia. After a while, new genetic changes may occur.

Carcinoma in situ

Mutated cells become even more abnormal in size and appearance, but for the moment they have not spread to other parts of the body. This is called carcinoma in situ, and it may remain confined indefinitely to the area from which it arose.

Invasive cancer

If genetic changes give the abnormal cells the potential for spreading to lymph nodes and nearby tissues, the cancer is said to be invasive. Cells are likely to give rise to new tumors (metastases) throughout the body.

Why is cancer unique?

EACH TUMOUR IS UNIQUE AND TREATMENT CAN BE PERSONALISED FOR EACH PATIENT

UNIQUE COMBINATION OF MUTATIONS

Each cancer has a different combination of mutations in its DNA. This is what makes a tumour unique.

Biomarker testing help to establish, what we could call, the fingerprinting of a cancer.

DIFERENT TYPES OF MUTATIONS

There are several types of DNA mutations: single nucleotide variant (SNV), deletion or insertion of DNA nucleotides (indel), fusion of two DNA fragments to create an oncogene, and the amplification (copy/paste) of a same fragment of DNA (CNV). All these mutations can be detected by complex testing of biomarkers.

TUMOR PROTEINS

In addition to DNA mutations, a tumour may also show many surface proteins that could help identify the best therapy. OncoDNA is a pioneer in analysing not only the DNA of the tumour but also its proteins. Tumor proteins are visualized using a tumor cell staining technique called “immunohistochemistry.”

How can personalised medicine help you?

The past decades have seen significant progress in the understanding of cancer biology, and oncologists can now choose a treatment based on the presence of specific biomarkers. Biomarker testing and personalised treatment strategies can increase the chances of survival, as well as avoid unnecessary treatments and their adverse events.

Targeted therapies

TARGETING SPECIFIC MOLECULES

Targeted therapies have become key in precision medicine. Many are currently under development. Their goal is to halt tumor progression by inhibiting the activity of specific targets related to tumor progression.

Extracellular growth factors that promote the formation of new blood vessels (a process called angiogenesis). These blood vessels supply the cancer cells with oxygen and nutrients and are therefore crucial for tumour enlargement and invasion of new tissues.
Transmembrane receptors. These receptors are located on the surface of tumour cells and bind to extracellular molecules (signals), such as growth factors. The receptors subsequently transmit the signal information to other molecules (proteins) inside of the cell.
Intracellular proteins that receive the signal transmitted through the transmembrane receptors. They promote a variety of cellular processes, such as tumour growth, survival or invasion.

Hormonal therapies

BLOCKING HORMONES ACTION

Hormones are important molecules in our body which regulate many processes, such as growth, development and reproduction.

Hormonal therapies are drugs used to block the action or production of hormones, thereby slowing down or stopping the growth of certain cancers that are hormone-sensitive (meaning that they are dependent on a hormone for survival and/or growth). Hormone-sensitive tumors show hormone receptors on their surface, such as estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer, or androgen receptor in prostate cancer.

Immunotherapy

STIMULATING OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

One of the main roles of our immune system is to defend the body against infecting and other foreign agents by distinguishing
our body´s own cells from foreign elements. The principal immunologic cells are called leukocytes or white blood cells. Some examples include macrophages and lymphocytes (natural killer cells, T-cells and B-cells).

The immune system not only provides a line of defense against foreign agents, it can also protect us against tumor cells. Unfortunately, cancer cells have several strategies to become “invisible” to the immune system avoiding immune-mediated elimination.

The goal of immunotherapy is to mobilize the patient’s own immune system against the disease. There are several kinds of immunotherapies, such as artificial monoclonal antibodies or immune checkpoint inhibitors. The latter ones bind to molecules that inhibit the immune system, blocking those immune-inhibitory molecules and reactivating the immune system.

What biomarker testing we offer?

A deep look into the tumor!

SOLID TUMOR ANALYSIS (stage III and IV) - TRANSFORM BIOMARKER INFORMATION INTO PERSONALIZED TREATMENT STRATEGIES

CANCER TYPE:

Solid tumors

RECOMMENDED USE:

At diagnosis or disease progression

GENES PANEL:

638 genes

SAMPLE TYPE:

FFPE tissue (not older than 10 months)

TURNAROUND TIME:

< 2 weeks

What Is OncoDEEP^®?

ONCODEEP^® IS A COMPREHENSIVE BIOMARKER TEST DESIGNED TO GUIDE TREATMENT OF ADVANCED, METASTATIC SOLID TUMORS.

When your patients are diagnosed with a rare cancer type or an aggressive cancer, when chemotherapy doesn’t work or when cancer comes back, OncoDEEP^®can provide you with clear clinical guidance. Starting from a small sample of tumor tissue, our biomarker test is able to pinpoint the therapeutic vulnerabilities of a tumor and identify appropriate cancer treatment options in a fast turnaround.

OncoDEEP^® is the most comprehensive biomarker test available on the market. It covers a wide range of cancer biomarkers carefully selected for their clinical relevance and offers a unique combination of analyses (NGS test and IHC test) that proved to maximize the clinical benefits for cancer patients.

In one simple biomarker test and in less than two weeks, OncoDEEP^® can help you to:

Identify all the approved cancer treatments likely to be effective for your patients;
Define which types of cancer therapies your patient is resistant to;
Consider appropriate oncology clinical trials;
Understand why a cancer treatment stopped working.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

Stage 3-4 solid tumors in adults
Glioblastoma in children
Cancer of unknown primary

RECOMMENDED WHEN:

At diagnosis
First-line treatment not efficient
Recurrence of cancer
Highly aggressive or rare cancers
Primary origin of cancer unknown

Download the brochure

TARGETED LIQUID BIOPSY- ANALYSIS OF LIQUID BIOPSY IF NO TUMOR TISSUE IS AVAILABLE

SAMPLE TYPE

Liquid biopsy

MATERIAL

2 blood samples

OncoSELECT: Smart liquid biopsy panels with selected key genes per tumor type

THE LIQUID BIOPSY SOLUTION FOR DISEASE MONITORING OR THERAPEUTIC DECISION

OncoSELECT is a fast and minimally invasive analysis of circulating tumor DNA from a blood sample for lung (NSCLC), colorectal and breast (HR+ or HER2+) cancer patients.

It is the perfect solution to identify therapeutic options for cancer patients not able to have their tumor biopsied or whose biopsy is too old. It can be used as a tool to detect treatment resistance to targeted therapies (before first-line to check the heterogeneity of the disease, or during/after treatment to check for acquired resistance mutations), as well as for monitoring cancer progression.

SAMPLE TYPE:

Liquid biopsy

RECOMMENDED FOR:

The following stage IV solid tumors in adults:

Non-small cell lung cancer
Breast (HR+ and HER2+) cancer
Colorectal cancer

GENES PANEL:

From 7 to 12 according to cancer type

MATERIAL:

2 blood samples (2x10ml Streck tubes)

PERSONALIZED LIQUID BIOPSY - PERSONALIZED LIQUID BIOPSY FOR PATIENT MONITORING

SAMPLE TYPE

Liquid biopsy

MATERIAL

2 blood samples

OncoFOLLOW: The first personalised liquid biopsy in the market

MONITOR THE PROGRESSION AND DETECT LACK OF RESPONSE

OncoFOLLOW is a test based on the analysis of circulating tumor DNA in blood. It is used to monitor the progression of the tumor (burden of the disease) and to detect lack of response or resistance to treatment as soon as it appears.

This assay is customised for each patient, as it analyses up to 15 variants previously identified in the tumour of the patient. In addition, it sequences a fixed panel of 40 genes associated with response/resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapy, and/or frequently mutated in cancer.

SAMPLE TYPE:

Liquid biopsy

RECOMMENDED FOR:

All stage IV solid tumours in adults that have been previously sequenced (with OncoDEED or any other test sequencing more than 100 genes).

GENES PANEL:

40 genes
Up to 15 variants previously identified in the tumor

MATERIAL:

2 blood samples (2x10ml Streck tubes)

With the help of these tests, a personalized and unique genetic report is obtained for each patient

PERSONALIZED TOOL

The gene panel is customized for each patient by selecting a set of patient-specific variants that have been identified in the tumor by a previous sequencing test (with OncoDEEP or any other test that sequences more than 100 genes).

A MINIMALLY INVASIVE TECHNIQUE

From a simple blood test, this minimally invasive technique allows very careful monitoring of the response to treatment and the identification of new targets if the cancer becomes resistant to current therapy and can detect recurrence earlier than routine imaging technologies.