A leading molecular science innovator focused on delivering on the promise of precision medicine, today announced the launch of MI FOLFOXaiTM, the latest addition to the company’s extensive molecular science portfolio. MI FOLFOXai is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based predictor of FOLFOX chemotherapy response in metastatic colorectal cancer that showed an increase of approximately 50 percent in overall survival through two independent validation studies. Using the findings of Caris Molecular Intelligence ® tumor profiling, this AI-powered predictor is designed to gage the probability of a patient benefiting from FOLFOX in combination with bevacizumab as a first-line regimen.
Two separate data sets were used to test MI FOLFOXai and equate the increased benefit arm to the decreased benefit arm. The first study was a blinded, forward-looking review of retrospectively evaluated samples from the Phase III TRIBE2 randomized study. This analysis showed a 6.9-month increase in overall median survival. The second study included several hundred real-world case studies that showed an overall mean survival improvement of 11.8 months.
MI FOLFOXai was developed using a subset of findings from the company’s proprietary Caris Molecular Intelligence platform, which involves next-generation sequencing for DNA mutations, alterations in copy numbers, insertions / deletions, full transcriptome sequencing for RNA fusions and transcript variants, and immunochemistry protein processing. Machine learning algorithms were then used to construct a validated molecular signature using the two separate data sets to equate the increased benefit arm with the reduced benefit arm.
“FOLFOX is part of an NCCN Guidelines® recommended first-line treatment regimen for the roughly 35,000 patients in the U.S. newly diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer each year, and initiating the most appropriate therapy at this stage can be critical to successfully altering the course of disease,” said W. Michael Korn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Caris. “Clinical outcomes from MI FOLFOXai validations represent a mean overall survival of nearly 50%, making it imperative to get this information to patients and their physicians as soon as possible.”
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer globally, with more than 1.8 million patients diagnosed with the disease each year1. As many as 25 percent of colorectal cancer patients will present with Stage IV "“ or metastatic "“ disease, where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, making the choice of treatment critical to the patient’s prognosis.
“We are excited to bring the world’s first fully validated AI based treatment algorithm to patients suffering from CRC. MI FOLFOXai will help physicians better determine the relative benefit patients will receive from the FOLFOX chemotherapy regimen and improve clinical outcomes,” stated David Spetzler, M.S., MBA, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer. “Precision medicine powered by AI has enormous potential in cancer profiling, as well as other areas of medicine, and we look forward to continuing to release additional AI-based molecular intelligence products in the near future.”
Caris AI-Driven Molecular Profiling
MI FOLFOXai represents Caris’ second AI-driven molecular profiling offering. In December 2019 the company launched MI GPSaiâ„¢, the first-ever molecular AI product used for cancer assessment in a clinical setting. As an AI-driven tumor type biology similarity score to better classify tumors, MI GPSai uses both DNA and RNA analysis along with a machine learning algorithm, which includes more than 6,500 mathematical models, to compare molecular characteristics of a patient’s tumor against Caris’ extensive database. The results provide insights to inform treatment decisions for cancer of unknown primary (CUP) cases, atypical clinical presentation cases and other difficult to treat cancer cases.
About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences® is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation. The company’s suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps physicians and cancer patients make more precise and personalized treatment decisions.
Caris is also advancing precision medicine with Caris Molecular Artificial Intelligenceâ„¢ that combines its innovative service offerings, Caris Molecular Intelligence® with its proprietary artificial intelligence analytics engine, DEANâ„¢, to analyze the whole exome, whole transcriptome and complete cancer proteome. This information, coupled with mature clinical outcomes on thousands of patients, provides unmatched molecular solutions for patients, physicians, payers and biopharmaceutical organizations.
Whole transcriptome sequencing with MI Transcriptomeâ„¢ provides the most comprehensive and unique RNA analysis available on the market and covers all 22,000 genes, with an average of 60 million reads per patient, to deliver extremely broad coverage and high resolution into the dynamic nature of the transcriptome. Assessing the whole transcriptome allows the ability to dig deeper into the RNA universe to uncover and detect fusions, splice variants, and expression changes that provide oncologists with more insight and actionable information when determining treatment plans for patients.
Caris Pharmatechâ„¢, a pioneer of the original Just-In-Time research system with the largest research-ready oncology network is changing the paradigm from the traditional physician outreach model to a real-time approach where patient identification is completed at the lab and the physician is informed so that the patient can be enrolled days earlier, and remain in the local physician’s care, without having to travel to a large central trial site. This fundamentally redefines how pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies identify and rapidly enroll patients in precision oncology trials by combining Caris’ highest quality industry leading large-scale molecular profiling services with Pharmatech’s on-demand site activation and patient enrollment system.
Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).
Caris Life Sciences Media & Company Contact:
Lindsey Bailys
GCI Health
lindsey.bailys@gcihealth.com
+1-212-798-98
1. World Cancer Research Fund. Colorectal cancer statistics. March 2020.
SOURCE Caris Life Sciencessed treatment algorithm to patients suffering from CRC. MI FOLFOXai will help physicians better determine the relative benefit patients will receive from the FOLFOX chemotherapy regimen and improve clinical outcomes,” stated David Spetzler, M.S., MBA, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer. “Precision medicine powered by AI has enormous potential in cancer profiling, as well as other areas of medicine, and we look forward to continuing to release additional AI-based molecular intelligence products in the near future.”