iCellate Medical receives first patient sample in METRO trial
Stockholm, Sweden – December 15, 2023 – iCellate continues validation of its circulating tumor cell (CTC) platform CellMate® across various cancer indications. This week we have included the first patient samples in the METRO trial, a multicenter, prostate cancer, phase III trial run in Sweden.
CellMate® is a circulating tumor cell (CTC)-based platform for early cancer cell detection and biomarker analysis. The isolation of CTCs in the blood provides for a more comprehensive analysis of genomic and protein biomarkers to support treatment selection.
Clinical practice for diagnosis and characterization of cancer today requires a tumor tissue biopsy. A tissue biopsy, however, is not always obtainable and may be associated with complications.
The aim of the METRO trial is to study metastatic prostate cancer with limited spread. Standard treatment will be compared with precision radiation in addition to investigate whether precision radiation can prolong survival.
The METRO trial includes men with newly discovered prostate cancer or recurrence after curative treatment with 1-3 distant metastases identified by PSMA-PET. The patients are randomized between standard hormonal treatment or treatment with precision radiation against visible metastases in addition. The study plans to include 118 patients.
CellMate® in prostate cancer
Despite prostate cancer being the most common cancers in men, the question of whether to implement general prostate cancer screening remains unanswered. Today’s tools for screening, PSA (prostate specific antigen) and Sthlm3 test, has not achieved sensitivity levels high enough to be approved for national screening.
The objective is to determine CellMate®’s ability to detect CTCs across stages of disease, while also examining the expression of the cell surface marker PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen). Cancer patients that express PSMA may benefit from a PSMA-targeted therapy, a growing area of development in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Demonstrating that CellMate® can detect PSMA positivity on par with PET scans could unlock exciting collaboration opportunities with pharmaceutical companies. Utilizing CellMate® as a companion diagnostic for targeted drugs would enhance cost-effective access to the appropriate medicine for a larger number of patients at the right time, says Pelle Redare, CEO of iCellate.
Contact information
Iohn Ryott
COO
iohn.ryott@icellate.se
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.
iCellate is accredited by Swedac as a medical laboratory according to ISO 15189.
Read more at icellate.com.
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