Achilles Founders map truncal and branched mutations and copy number events to predict early relapse in non-small cell cancer lungs, opening up significant new opportunities for clinical trial design and monitoring of patients
A large scale Cancer Research UK study, TRACERx, which is led by the founders of Achilles, has found that unstable chromosomes within lung tumours increase the risk of cancer returning after surgery. The findings, which have been published in two prestigious medical research publications, the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature, reveal new insights into how tumours evolve and evade treatment, a leading cause of cancer death.
TRACERx, under lead researcher and Achilles founder Professor Charles Swanton, is the first study to look at the evolution of cancer in real time in immense detail. Researchers followed patients all the way from diagnosis through to either disease relapse or cure after surgery, tracking and analysing how their cancer developed.
Dr Chris Ashton, CEO of Achilles, said: “We continue to be excited by the value of what TRACERx is delivering and the impact this is having in helping Achilles develop new patient specific therapies that harness the immune system to destroy cancer cells. TRACERx is a unique resource which is enabling us to accelerate these potentially transformational therapies into the clinic.”
More information about the findings released in the research can be found here
