Trovagene, University of Michigan Enter Pact to Focus on KRAS-Based Pancreatic Cancer Detection, Treatment

By Ron Shinkman, Editor, Laboratory Industry Report

Trovagene has entered into a pact with the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in order to develop a molecular test for the earlier detection and more effective treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The San Diego-based laboratory and researchers with the University of Michigan will collaborate to tweak Trovagene’s KRAS liquid biopsy test in order to focus on mutations linked to the presence of pancreatic cancer.

“KRAS gene mutations occur in over 90 percent of pancreatic carcinomas. There is an urgent need for targeted therapies and a precision diagnostic test to identify who would benefit from these therapies,” said Diane Simeone, M.D., director of the pancreatic cancer center at the University of Michigan.

The disease is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., with five-year survival rates well below 10 percent. Among the reasons pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that by the time patients begin to suffer symptoms of the disease it is often too advanced to curb its continued progression. Surgery is the best way to treat the disease, but can only be performed in about 20 percent of all cases due to the advanced state of many tumors.

“Building on our prior work establishing industry-leading KRAS detection capability this program will further develop evidence supporting the use of KRAS molecular monitoring to both drive faster treatment decisions and to detect disease at a stage where patients simply have more treatment options,” said Mark Erlander, Trovagene’s chief scientific officer.

Terms of the deal between the university and Trovagene were not disclosed.