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Caris Life Sciences to Present New Ovarian Cancer Research at ESMO Virtual Congress 2020

Additional research will highlight findings in colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers that could impact treatment decisions for patients

IRVING, Texas, September 15, 2020 – Caris Life Sciences®, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced results from a study that could shed new light on the treatment journey of patients with KRAS-mutated epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOC). These findings, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020, demonstrate an unmet need for this patient population and suggest that targeted therapies designed to inhibit KRAS gene response may be effective in treating patients with KRAS-mutated EOC.

“Inhibitors of KRAS­-mutant disease have previously shown efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic and colon cancers, but more data about targeted therapies for KRAS-mutated ovarian cancer are needed,” said Karolina Kilowski, M.D., lead investigator of the study and a gynecologic oncology fellow with the Gynecologic Oncology Program at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida. “These results demonstrate that further investigation into KRAS-mutated ovarian cancer is warranted, as it is now apparent that BRCA1/2 mutations were mutually exclusive from KRAS-mutations, suggesting a separate treatment opportunity for recurrent disease or maintenance therapy,” said Rob Holloway M.D., Medical Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Program at AdventHealth.

The full results will be presented today during a poster display session (Abstract #844P) as part of the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020. The title of the poster is, “KRAS Mutant Epithelial Ovarian Carcinomas (EOC) Represent Distinct Genomic Genotypes.”

Additional Presentations Reveal Potential Impact of Precision Medicine
Caris will present additional data from studies demonstrating the critical role of precision medicine and molecular profiling in driving treatment decisions for people with colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal tumors. Both presentations will be made available online through Caris’ virtual booth on Thursday, September 17.

  • A study evaluating Polo-like Kinase 1 (PLK1) in KRAS-wildtype and KRAS-mutated (MT) colorectal cancer (Abstract #473P) revealed similar levels of PLK1 expression in both groups, suggesting the potential for efficacy of PLK1 inhibitors regardless of KRAS In addition, microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden, both known markers for immunotherapy response, increased along with PLK1 expression. Therefore, researchers suggest that combining an immunotherapy with a PLK1 inhibitor may be a synergistic approach to increase tumor sensitivity in PLK1-overexpressing tumors. The poster is titled, “PLK1 expression and KRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer.”

 

  • A study titled, “Comprehensive profiling of MDM2-amplified gastrointestinal (GI) cancers” (Abstract #1952P), the most extensive profiling study to investigate MDM2-amplified GI tumors, found distinct molecular patterns of MDM2-amplified GI cancers involving WNT pathway genes, upregulation of FGF signaling and an inverse association with tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability, which may partly explain the lower levels of response of MDM2-amplified tumors to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

 

“As cancer treatment becomes increasingly personalized, it is vital for physicians and patients to have access to next-generation sequencing and molecular assays in order to have the fullest picture possible to help them determine the proper treatment path,” said W. Michael Korn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Caris Life Sciences. “Our data at ESMO 2020 highlight how Caris’ industry-leading technology can provide guidance for physicians in how they approach KRAS-mutated tumors.”

About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences® is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation. The company’s suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps physicians and cancer patients make more precise and personalized treatment decisions. MI Exome™ whole exome sequencing with 22,000 DNA genes, and MI Transcriptome™ whole transcriptome sequencing with 22,000 RNA genes along with cancer-related pathogens, bacteria, viruses and fungi analysis run on every patient provides the most comprehensive and clinically relevant DNA and RNA profiling available on the market.

Caris is also advancing precision medicine with Caris MAI™ (Molecular Artificial Intelligence) that combines its innovative service offerings, Caris Molecular Intelligence® with its proprietary artificial intelligence analytics engine, DEAN™, to analyze the whole exome, whole transcriptome and complete cancer proteome. This information, coupled with mature clinical outcomes on thousands of patients, provides unmatched molecular solutions for patients, physicians, payers and biopharmaceutical organizations.

Caris Pharmatech is changing the paradigm and streamlines the clinical trial process by assisting biopharma companies with accessing research-ready oncology sites for clinical trials. With over 200 research sites within the Caris Pharmatech JIT Oncology Network, biopharma companies can identify and enroll more patients, faster. Caris Pharmatech Just-In-Time Clinical Trial Solutions focus on rapid site activation and patient enrollment to streamline the drug development process. By implementing a Just-In-Time (JIT) Research System, site activation and patient enrollment is achievable within 14 days for pre-registered locations with pre-qualified patients.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences has offices in Phoenix, Denver, New York, and Basel, Switzerland. Caris provides services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).

 

Caris Life Sciences Media & Company Contact:
Lindsey Bailys
GCI Health
lindsey.bailys@gcihealth.com
+1-212-798-9884

 

Caris Life Sciences to Present New Ovarian Cancer Research at ESMO Virtual Congress 2020