Monogram Biosciences' eTag assays may contribute to targeted therapies for cancer patients

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 15 - Monogram Biosciences Inc. said it has new clinical data that demonstrates the ability of the company's eTag assays to predict treatment response for patients with lung cancer who receive Iressa (gefitinib).

The eTag assay performs functional assessments of pathway activation and may have the potential to identify patients whose tumors rely on signaling pathways that are targeted by gefitinib and who thus may be more likely to respond.

"We believe the eTag assay has significant potential because of its ability to provide functional assessments of pathway activation in a quantitative manner, and we are examining its clinical utility in lung, breast and colorectal cancers," vice president of clinical research Michael P. Bates said in a company press release.

"The eTag assay can not only tell you whether a particular protein is present, but it can also tell you whether that protein is activated and contributing to the proliferative potential of the tumor. The ability to determine whether a particular drug target is activated or not may have important ramifications for physicians considering patients for treatment with targeted therapies."

The data was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Philadelphia.

The study was performed in collaboration with Yasushi Yatabe of the Aichi Cancer Center Hospital in Nagoya, Japan.

Monogram, formerly ViroLogi Inc., is based in South San Francisco, Calif., and develops products for the treatment of serious infectious diseases and cancer.

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