Pb-PRRT

Blood-based molecular cancer test delivers accuracy and specificity levels unsurpassed by other diagnostic methods BRANFORD, Conn. — Aug. 10, 2023 — With NETest, oncologists at leading cancer centers around the globe have a highly accurate molecular diagnostic to add to their patient care arsenal. Developed by Wren Laboratories LLC, the NETest is a blood-based neuroendocrine cancer diagnostic that can be used to help diagnose, recommend treatment, and then monitor progress for neuroendocrine tumor (NET) or neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) patients in real-time. The NETest assesses mRNA gene expression to diagnose neuroendocrine tumors, which represent about 2% of cancer diagnoses in the U.S. By focusing on mRNA, Wren can provide a real-time assessment of the disease state of a NET or NEN by interpreting molecular messages released by cells about neuroendocrine cancer activity found in a blood sample. “Our NETest uses the cellular messaging system of the human body - mRNA – to detect tumor activity in the bloodstream, often before a tumor can be seen. As the NETest panel includes 51 genes, we employ machine learning, also called AI, to analyze this incredibly dense molecular information about a patient’s tumor status,” said Mark Kidd, Ph.D., laboratory and scientific director. The NETest is far more robust than any other neuroendocrine tumor diagnostic. It has exhibited a 98% sensitivity, which translates into few false negative results. The NETest has an 86% accuracy in determining disease status (differentiating between stable and progressive disease), which is unsurpassed in other diagnostic methods. The results from the NETest help determine the state of the tumor, if there is residual disease, and the chances of recurrence. It also discerns whether the tumor is responding to treatment or not. “NETest puts patients in the best position possible to understand their disease and, specifically, how they are responding to treatment,” said Dan Buck, general manager. “This blood-based assay provides invaluable information delivered in a simple manner that helps oncologists and patients better understand where they are in their cancer journey.” Used over 10,000 times by doctors and oncologists affiliated with some of the most well-respected Cancer Centers around the globe, the NETest has a 99% post-treatment recurrence diagnostic accuracy. Because of its high accuracy in determining recurrence, the test reduces imaging requirements in nearly half of patients, helping limit radiation exposure. Wren also offers a companion prognostic to the NETest, known as PPQ, that can be used to determine the efficacy of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). The PPQ has a 94% accuracy in determining the response to PRRT, which significantly outperforms current predictor diagnostic tools (somatostatin receptor expression and morphological imaging and/or chromogranin A (CgA) measurement). The PPQ can save patients and their insurance providers thousands of dollars in treatment costs by determining the effectiveness before therapy begins. ### Wren Laboratories is a molecular diagnostic laboratory in Branford, Connecticut that uses mRNA, Artificial Intelligence, and a suite of proprietary algorithms to detect cancers and provide diagnostic information to oncologists and patients. Wren is CLIA-certified clinical laboratory whose current lab-developed tests include the NETest and NETest PPQ. Learn more: wrenlaboratories.com

A novel PET radiotracer can accurately assess the presence of a biomarker that indicates the level of tumor aggressiveness in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). According to new research, the detection of the biomarker provides useful information for physicians to provide personalized care for patients with NENs and may also serve as a potential target for peptide radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for NEN patients. A novel PET radiotracer can accurately assess the presence of a biomarker that indicates the level of tumor aggressiveness in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). According to research published in the September issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the detection of the biomarker provides useful information for physicians to provide personalized care for patients with NENs and may also serve as a potential target for peptide radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for NEN patients. NENs originate from the neuroendocrine cells and are found primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and lungs. The treatment for patients diagnosed with NENs ranges from indolent (causing little or no pain) to highly aggressive. Treatment is dependent upon the grade, or severity, of the disease, which makes accurate risk stratification important. "Noninvasive tools to improve the risk stratification and guide decisions on treatment are warranted," said Andreas Kjaer, MD, PhD, DMSc, professor at Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen in Denmark. "In this study, we aimed to assess for the first time whether the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) radiotracer would show accumulation in NENs and if that accumulation would be associated with survival rates." The prospective clinical phase II trial included 116 patients with NENs of all grades. Of these patients, 96 had whole body 68Ga-NOTA-AE105 uPAR PET/CT performed with evaluable lesions. Images were analyzed and the uPAR target-to-liver ratio was used to identify lesions as uPAR positive. Patients were then followed for at least one year to assess progression-free and overall survival. uPAR expression was seen in most patients with both low-grade and high-grade NENs. uPAR-positive lesions were noted in 68 percent of all patients and in 75 percent of patients with high-grade NENs. High uPAR expression was associated with a worse prognosis with regard to progression-free and overall survival. "These findings are most encouraging as they imply that uPAR could be an attractive target for therapy both because of the availability of the target in patients with NENs and because of the possibility of specifically targeting lesions associated with poorer prognosis," Kjaer noted. "As many neuroendocrine tumors -- particularly those of higher grades -- are not eligible for the currently available somatostatin PRRT, uPAR PRRT could become a viable therapeutic option for these patients."