iCellate joins METRO study with aim of analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in prostate cancer

Stockholm, Sweden – March 21, 2023 – iCellate joins as new study partner in the METRO study and will use its liquid biopsy technology for biomarker analyses in oligometastatic prostate cancer patients. The METRO consortium is comprised of eight Swedish hospitals including university hospitals (all but Linköping and Uppsala),  Ryhov Hospital, Södersjukhuset, and Sankt Göran in Stockholm. Karin Söderkvist of Umeå University Hospital is the lead Principal Investigator.

The study will recruit patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer. Standard of care therapy (SOC) will be compared with SOC plus targeted radiation therapy, with the aim of investigating the impact of targeted radiation on overall survival.

Oligometastatic prostate cancer as defined in the METRO study includes men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer or recurrent prostate cancer after treatment with curative intent with 1-3 metastases as identified by PSMA PET. Subjects will be randomized to receive SOC hormone therapy or SOC plus targeted radiation therapy. 14 subjects will be recruited.

-          We are very excited at the opportunity to identify predictive biomarkers using iCellate’s liquid biopsy technique, CellMate®, says Dr. Karin Söderkvist. This is crucial for the success of precision medicine.

iCellate sees great value in participating in the METRO study to further validate CellMate® for the detection of PSMA in prostate cancer patients. In 2022 Novartis received the first approval of a PSMA-targeted therapy, Pluvicto™. Several pharmaceutical companies have PSMA-targeted therapies in pipeline for prostate cancer as well as other tumor types.

iCellate’s platform CellMate® is based on the detection and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Early data indicates higher sensitivity in early-stage cancer than other technologies and in several cancer types including prostate and pancreatic.

VP of R&D, Åsa Rosenquist, comments:

-          If we can demonstrate that CellMate® identifies PSMA-positive patients as least as well as PSMA PET, then there will be exciting opportunities for us to collaborate with the pharmaceutical industry. CellMate® could then be pursued as a companion diagnostic for targeted therapies, helping more patients gain access to the right therapy at the right time in a cost-effective manner.

The METRO study is already recruiting subjects and iCellate awaits its first blood sample in the beginning of April.

About iCellate:

iCellate is a Swedish life science company founded in 2011 with its laboratory and office located in Stockholm. iCellate develops cancer diagnostic services across the cancer lifecycle, from hereditary cancer risk (GeneMate®) to early detection, treatment prediction and treatment monitoring (CellMate®). The technologies are based on research from the Karolinska Institute in collaboration with the Karolinska University Hospital and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Read more at icellate.se.