Caris Collaboration to Identify Eligible Participants for NCI-MATCH Trial

InĂªs Martins, PhD avatar

by InĂªs Martins, PhD |

Share this article:

Share article via email
genetic test for high-risk myeloma

Caris Life Sciences is collaborating with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to identify patients eligible to participate in the Phase 2 NCI-MATCH (Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice) study, the largest precision medicine trial to date. Caris will also evaluate next-generation sequencing results for certain trial participants.

The NCI-MATCH trial (NCT02465060) was designed to evaluate treatment that is directed by genetic testing assays in patients with solid tumors, lymphomas, or multiple myelomas who progressed following standard treatment, or for whom there is no standard treatment.

Patients with genetic abnormalities may benefit more from treatment that targets their tumor’s particular genetic abnormality. Identifying these genetic abnormalities at the time of diagnosis may help doctors plan better, tailored treatments.

The study includes 19 treatment arms that are currently open to patients, each enrolling participants whose tumors have a specific genetic change. Most treatment arms will enroll 35 patients, but treatment arms addressing more common mutations may enroll up to 70 patients.

Under the collaborative agreement, Caris will be responsible for notifying physicians from more than 1,100 clinical sites taking part in the trial when the Caris Molecular Intelligence assay identifies gene abnormalities that could make a patient eligible for one of several NCI-MATCH treatments.

Caris Molecular Intelligence Service examines the genetic and molecular makeup that is unique to each patient’s tumor. By comparing the tumor’s information with data from clinical studies from thousands of the world’s leading cancer researchers, Caris provides treating oncologists with information about which treatments are likely to be the most effective and which treatments are likely to be ineffective for each patient.

This month, the NCI-MATCH trial is expected to reach its goal to sequence the tumors of 6,000 patients. Results from the patients tested to date demonstrate that every tumor gene abnormality being studied is less common than previously expected, ranging from 3.47 percent to zero. This discovery is leading researchers to consider that for several of the treatment arms to reach their 35-patient goal, the trial needs to cast a wider net and to examine tens of thousands of patients.

Caris Molecular Intelligence has been used to profile more than 117,000 patients, providing oncologists with what the company claims are the most potential clinically actionable treatment options currently achievable in personalized cancer care today. Under its collaboration with the NCI-MATCH study, when an oncologist orders tumor profiling to guide a patient’s care, the company will be responsible for looking for trial matches for these patients.

“NCI-MATCH is an incredibly important trial, as the results of this signal-finding study may significantly impact the design of larger, more definitive precision medicine-based clinical trials,” John Marshall, MD, chief medical officer of Caris Life Sciences, said in a press release.

“We look forward to collaborating with both ECOG-ACRIN and the NCI and believe Caris’ tumor profiling capabilities and MI Trials services are well-suited to identify eligible patients to help the trial meet its goals.”

“Tumor profiling and genomic testing are becoming common in daily practice for oncologists to help guide clinical care for cancer patients,” said Peter J. O’Dwyer, MD, ECOG-ACRIN study co-chair. “We are excited about Caris Life Sciences’ involvement with the NCI-MATCH trial and we look forward to working together to proactively identify potentially eligible patients to fill several arms of the trial.”