Trovagene Enters Into Pact With USC on Liquid Biopsy Test

Trovagene, the San Diego-based molecular laboratory, has entered into a deal with the University of Southern California’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center to collaborate on creating a standard framework and best practices for the use of its Trovera assay for cancer detection.

The test uses circulating tumor DNA in a patient’s urine sample in order to detect the presence of the disease, as well as provide a molecular profile suggesting specific courses of treatment.

“The clinical data Trovagene has presented and published thus far illustrate the tremendous promise of using urinary ctDNA as a noninvasive sample type to detect and monitor clinically actionable oncogene mutations, and provide essential molecular information about a patient’s disease,” said Stephen B. Gruber, M.D., director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a statement.

Trovagene has entered into collaborations with the University of Michigan and the University of California at San Diego regarding the development of assays to detect and assess specific forms of cancer.

“We look forward to working closely with clinicians and researchers at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center ... to further demonstrate the robustness and reliability of our technology in the identification of cancer mutations from urine,” said Mark Erlander, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Trovagene, in a statement. “Our collaboration is focused on conducting several novel studies that have potential to improve the standard-of-care for cancer treatment, and to accelerate adoption of our noninvasive tests into clinical practice.”

Takeaway: Trovagene has continued to enter into deals to further develop and standardize urine-based cancer assays.