INOVIQ’s Exo-Net useful in detection of early-stage ovarian cancer, study finds
INOVIQ chief executive officer Leearne Hinch says the Ovarian Cancer 97 study was the first milestone achieved in the collaboration with the University of Queensland to develop a world-first EV ovarian cancer screening test.
A feasibility study completed by University of Queensland has confirmed the utility of INOVIQ’s (ASX: IIQ) Exo-Net cell capture technology in isolating extracellular vesicle (EV) biomarkers in the detection of early-stage ovarian cancer.
The Ovarian Cancer 97 study was carried out by the university’s Centre for Clinical Research to establish that Exo-Net is fit-for-purpose in the discovery of ovarian cancer biomarkers (microRNA and protein) and for the development of an EV-based diagnostic.
Data from 97 plasma samples (including ovarian cancer, benign and healthy controls) identified “highly significant differences” between the EV biomarker content of ovarian cancer and control samples.
A multivariate algorithm using selected EV biomarkers achieved 92% accuracy for detection of early-stage ovarian cancers in an independent sample set.
University collaboration
In April, INOVIQ announced it would collaborate with the University of Queensland to develop a world-first exosome-based blood test for the earlier detection of ovarian cancer using a $2.7 million grant from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund.
Under the terms of the collaboration, INOVIQ would provide its Exo-Net technology for fast, accurate and scalable exosome isolation in thousands of blood samples.
In July 2021, university researchers identified and validated exosomal protein and microRNA biomarkers which, combined in the OCRF-7 algorithm, showed over 90% accuracy to detect Stages 1 and 2 ovarian cancer in an independent 500-sample retrospective case-control study.
INOVIQ and the university have now expanded their collaboration to further evaluate Exo-Net with a view to using the technology in the development of the OCRF-7 ovarian cancer test.
What are exosomes?
Exosomes are small particles released by most cells into biofluids such as blood, urine and saliva.
They contain different types of bioactive molecules such as DNAs, RNAs, proteins and lipids which convey important information about their parent cell and can be used for the identification of biomarkers, as well as diagnosis and treatment of disease.
INOVIQ’s Exo-Net technology captures exosomes from the blood to enable development of multiomic diagnostic tests which combine multiple biomarkers in an algorithm for the earlier and more accurate detection of various diseases such as cancer, inflammatory, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.
Next step
INOVIQ said the next step in the development of the ovarian cancer screening test would be an analytical validation study (known as OC250) to confirm the performance of Exo-Net and the EV biomarkers in serum samples and plasma.
If substantial equivalence between serum and plasma is established, INOVIQ said it could facilitate access to the world’s largest ovarian cancer serum biobank which would be “critically important” for future clinical studies.
The OC250 study is scheduled to commence in January with results expected by mid-2023.