Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: NanoString Initiates Second Clinical Validation Study for Breast Cancer Assay: Study to Evaluate the Ability of PAM50 to Estimate Prognosis in Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Home > Press > NanoString Initiates Second Clinical Validation Study for Breast Cancer Assay: Study to Evaluate the Ability of PAM50 to Estimate Prognosis in Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Abstract:
NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostics, today announced the initiation of the second clinical validation study of its PAM50-based breast cancer assay. The new study will evaluate samples from more than 1,000 patients enrolled in the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group 8 (ABCSG8) trial to test the ability of NanoString's assay to estimate the prognosis of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer.

NanoString Initiates Second Clinical Validation Study for Breast Cancer Assay: Study to Evaluate the Ability of PAM50 to Estimate Prognosis in Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Seattle, WA | Posted on May 16th, 2012

The ABCSG8 study, initiated in 1996, demonstrated that compared to treatment with tamoxifen alone, sequential adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen followed by anastrozole in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer decreased recurrence rates by 20%. Michael Gnant, MD, Professor at the Medical University of Vienna, is President of ABCSG and lead investigator of the new study. "Mounting evidence suggests an exciting role for the PAM50 gene signature in breast cancer clinical decision making," said Dr. Gnant. "Our current study is designed to build on the results recently presented by other investigators by confirming the ability of NanoString's assay to identify early-stage breast cancer patients with a low enough risk of distant recurrence that they may be spared unnecessary chemotherapy."

For this study, more than 1,000 samples from the ABCSG8 study will be analyzed using the NanoString PAM50-based assay on an nCounter® Analysis System installed in the Center for Translational and Applied Genomics at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. Torsten Nielsen, M.D., Ph.D. a pathologist at the BCCA and the Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre at Vancouver General Hospital is the lead pathologist on the study and co-inventor of the PAM50 gene signature. "The ABCSG8 study, in combination with analytical validation studies underway, is expected to rigorously test whether the nCounter technology can bring the power of genomic-based prognostic testing and reliable determination of intrinsic subtype to hospital and pathology laboratories worldwide," said Dr. Nielsen.

The clinical development program for NanoString's PAM50-based breast cancer assay is designed to support both its regulatory clearance and its incorporation into worldwide breast cancer treatment guidelines. Positive results from NanoString's first clinical validation study were presented last December by the study's independent investigators at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The study, which included more than 1,000 samples from the TransATAC study of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer (ESBC), met all primary and secondary objectives.

"The ABCSG8 study is part of our continued commitment to fully characterize the ability of the PAM50 gene signature and intrinsic subtypes to inform major treatment decisions in breast cancer by conducting clinical studies of the highest caliber," said Brad Gray, President and CEO of NanoString Technologies. "We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Drs. Gnant and Nielsen, as well as other leaders in the breast cancer field, and look forward to the results of this study."

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About NanoString Technologies, Inc.
NanoString Technologies is a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostics. The company’s nCounter Analysis System is the first and only technology platform to deliver highly multiplexed, direct profiling of individual molecules in a single reaction without amplification. The nCounter Analysis System offers a cost-effective way to easily profile hundreds of gene transcripts, copy number variations, or miRNAs simultaneously with high sensitivity and precision. The company’s technology enables a wide variety of basic research and translational medicine applications, including biomarker discovery and validation. NanoString is also developing the technology for use in molecular diagnostics.

The NanoString Technologies logo, NanoString, NanoString Technologies and nCounter are registered trademarks of NanoString Technologies, Inc.

About the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group

The Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG) was founded in 1984 as a national cooperative organization, with the dedicated aim to conduct controlled clinical trials in the research area of breast and colorectal cancer and to facilitate communication and dissemination of knowledge among scientists and others involved in the treatment of cancer patients. Since its establishment, approximately 23,000 patients have been enrolled in more than 40 clinical studies. ABCSG is currently recruiting up to 40 percent of all Austrian breast cancer patients into their clinical trial program. The ultimate goal of the ABCSG is to enhance the standard of cancer treatment in Austria and abroad by developing innovative approaches and testing increasingly more effective therapeutic strategies.

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Contacts:
For NanoString Technologies
Nicole Litchfield
415-793-6468

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