Cynvenio Biosystems has initiated a clinical study to evaluate its LiquidBiopsy ClearID test in combination with NK Score natural killer cell activity to monitor breast cancer patients in the US.

Being conducted in collaboration with Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute, the study will determine the potential of this combination in early identification of recurrent breast cancer in patients who are at high-risk of relapse following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

The study’s first phase will test patients who are set to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery and its second phase will monitor patients after the surgery.

Cynvenio Biosystems chief medical officer Paul Song said: “Based on preliminary data from our triple negative breast cancer trial and from our Danish clinical partners with our NK Score test, we believe that the combination of these two tests may provide a better insight into the overall cancer biology of each patient.”

"We believe that the combination of these two tests may provide a better insight into the overall cancer biology of each patient."

Designed to sequence 27 genes that are found to be commonly mutated in breast cancer, the firm’s ClearID Breast Cancer test analyzes cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTCs) pre and post-treatment.

The test simultaneously assesses the correlation of NK cell activity with a patient’s response to chemotherapy.

According to Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute medical director Dr Timothy Pluard, the ability of the ClearID test to monitor CTC and cfDNA will help in the prediction of disease relapse, and the combination of this ability with monitoring of the patient’s innate immune system will result in effective treatment.