Emerging Applications for Liquid Biopsy in Drug Development

Precision oncology represents a mainstay for cancer treatment through the targeting of specific molecular and genetic alterations associated with a patient’s tumor. With the emergence of pan-solid tumor approvals for immunotherapies such as pembrolizumab and receptor kinase inhibitors such as larotrectinib, it is the biomarkers themselves rather than the individual tumor type that is predictive of response to therapy and represents an exciting time in the war on cancer. With more than 50 percent of all new therapy approvals classified as precision medicines, there is an increased need to identify patient populations most likely to benefit from therapy, as well as maximize patient access to these treatments. Due to advances in next-generation sequencing for evaluation of the human genome, comprehensive analyses of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) through the liquid biopsy, represents a minimally invasive means to diagnose cancer.

A liquid biopsy can detect mutations associated with treatment selection, monitor tumor evolution and predict disease recurrence or relapse. Due to the broad range of ctDNA applications, these liquid biopsy analyses enable a valuable tool to facilitate therapeutic development and expedite access to life-saving treatments for patients. This webinar will highlight the different areas where liquid biopsy analyses are being applied in drug development today, including in advanced-stage disease for patient selection or stratification, evaluating treatment efficacy and understanding underlying genetic mechanisms of clinical response and resistance to guide future treatment strategies.

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