Sengenics Corporation Unveils New Cancer Treatment Partnership

BOSTON, June 3, 2024 – Sengenics Corporation LLC and Duke Health have announced a groundbreaking collaboration aimed at revolutionizing the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Utilizing Sengenics's advanced KREX® technology, this partnership seeks to explore the immune system's response to immunotherapy for mCRC, aiming to uncover autoantibody biomarkers associated with drug efficacy, resistance, and toxicity, ultimately to enhance patient survival rates and quality of life.

Metastatic colorectal cancer continues to pose a significant challenge, with a five-year survival rate of just 14%, according to a study by Rumpold in 2020. Historically, cancer immunotherapy development has predominantly focused on cellular immunity, often overlooking the pivotal roles of the humoral immune system. This collaborative project will evaluate the humoral immune response to the immunotherapy drugs atezolizumab and bevacizumab, which have shown encouraging results in clinical trials for mCRC treatment.

The overarching goal of this initiative is to identify autoantibody biomarkers that can help stratify patients, ensuring personalized and effective treatment regimens. Additionally, the research aims to provide deeper insights into disease progression and the various subtypes of mCRC.

Professor Jonathan Blackburn, Chief Scientific Officer at Sengenics, stated, "This research is a significant advancement in the battle against metastatic colorectal cancer. Autoantibodies not only offer new perspectives on treatment outcomes but also provide biologically relevant insights into the disease that other 'omics' approaches may not reveal."

Dr. Andrew Nixon, Professor of Medicine at Duke Health, added, "This collaboration highlights our dedication to improving patient care and health globally through innovative approaches. Our lab has long focused on the development of circulating biomarkers, and we are eager to further understand the roles autoantibodies play in the development of metastatic colorectal cancer and therapeutic resistance."

The outcomes of this collaboration have the potential to usher in a new era of cancer treatment, where precision medicine enables more accurate predictions of treatment success, leading to better management of mCRC and potentially other cancers.

About Sengenics

Sengenics Corporation LLC is a functional proteomics company dedicated to advancing precision medicine. It provides researchers with biologically relevant and actionable immunoproteomic insights across a wide range of diseases. Central to its mission, Sengenics offers high-throughput tools using proprietary technology to accurately detect autoantibody biomarkers and protein interactions for basic, translational, and clinical research. Its tools are utilized by top pharmaceutical companies and leading research institutions to enhance disease understanding and streamline the biomarker pipeline. Sengenics is headquartered in the U.S. and operates a global network of offices, distributors, and service providers.

About Duke Health

Duke Health integrates the academic health care and research of the Duke University Health System, Duke University School of Medicine, and other affiliated institutions. The health system includes three hospitals—Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital—and numerous outpatient services, such as Duke Primary Care, Duke Health Integrated Practices, Duke HomeCare & Hospice, and Duke Health and Wellness.

The education and research missions are led by the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, Duke-NUS Medical School, Duke Global Health Institute, and the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy. Duke Health remains committed to improving lives through enhanced standards of care, innovative research, and dedicated education and training of future healthcare providers, along with a strong focus on global and community health.

The collaboration between Sengenics and Duke Health is poised to make significant strides in the fight against metastatic colorectal cancer, potentially setting new standards for cancer treatment worldwide.

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