A method that rapidly predicts drug efficacy, based on a technique invented at OncoDxRx, has been successfully tested in a clinical validation study. Lung cancer patients with limited treatment options were guided by PGA (Patient-derived Gene expression-informed Anticancer drug efficacy) to identify potentially effective drugs quickly and accurately, information that would allow nearly three-quarters non-responders (to targeted therapy) to alternative treatment strategies.

This novel approach is underpinned by a revolutionary gene-to-drug technology invented at OncoDxRx, which was subsequently developed into an exclusive diagnostic tool as LDT (laboratory developed test) under CLIA/CAP environment. This tool promises to match the performance of standard-of-care biomarker testing, without the time and costs involved.

The clinical evidence presented in the study demonstrated that PGA could deliver accurate results to those lung cancer patients with “negative” biomarker test results, significantly improving clinical outcomes.

It is a game-changer, given the ease with which the test can be undertaken. This is because PGA assay is much cheaper and faster than NGS-based genetic methods, which require patient samples to be processed and analyzed in specialty labs.

PGA offers regular labs the ability to analyze their own samples for drug selection using qPCR machines (just like COVID-19 testing), without the need for special sequencing reagents, instrumentation and lengthy bioinformatics process. This is an exciting and significant technology, with real social impact.

The one-of-a-kind proprietary PGA technology analyzes liquid biopsy samples by measuring unique gene expression signature from each individual patient that highlights the gene activity changes linked to drug response. Analyzed via in silico computation, these signatures allow potentially effective drugs to be identified from screening ~700 existing cancer drugs.

OncoDxRx was founded to commercialize the PGA technology and others, and create disruptive tools tailored to cancer diagnostics and decision-making.

PGA technology was able to identify effective drugs for those patients running out of treatment options, with clinical outcome and predictive performance better than that reported by standard-of-care methods.
Existing NGS-based biomarker tests are slow, expensive and often involve sending out samples, most importantly, approximately 70-80% of the tested cases were negative, meaning these patients were not qualified for targeted therapy. This new technology speeds up a system that is currently slow, expensive and incomplete, benefiting only 20-30% of cancer patients, and where time, cost and swift action are precious commodities.

PGA will ultimately save lives, save money and prevent patients from the pain and anxiety of needlessly having to wait weeks for results. Importantly, the technology can also reduce the overuse of toxic chemotherapy in many patients.