ANGLE hails lung cancer study pointing to potential of its liquid biopsy

ANGLE PLC (LON:AGL) said a study using the company’s liquid biopsy system has helped increase the understanding of non-small cell lung cancer and how it mutates, a breakthrough that may offer a new method of guiding precision treatment. A team led by professor Evi Lianidou at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens deployed the Parsortix system to isolate circulating tumour cells (CTC) from blood samples. The researchers demonstrated the “dynamic” and diverse nature of the disease while concluding CTCs, as well as circulating DNA (ctDNA), provide information on its progression and resistance. “Critically, this study supports the view that CTCs, rather than ctDNA, are key to gaining an insight into the future development of a patient's cancer,” said Andrew Newland, ANGLE’s chief executive. In time, liquid biopsies may provide a cheaper, safer and more effective way than the current method of guiding precision cancer treatments. “Identifying the differences between mutations in ctDNA and CTCs in longitudinal studies could help guide therapy decisions and provide an important enhancement to monitoring patient response in cancer drug trials,” the company explained in its latest scientific update.