Adela to Present Data Supporting Use of its Tissue-Agnostic MRD Assay for Recurrence Prediction and Monitoring in Patients with Head & Neck Cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 Meeting

Results will be reviewed during an Oral Presentation on Monday June 3^rd

Study outcomes demonstrate potential for Adela’s MRD test to inform adjuvant treatment decisions and predict and monitor for recurrence in patients with head & neck cancer, regardless of HPV status

FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Adela, Inc., an innovator in blood testing for molecular residual disease (MRD) monitoring and early cancer detection through a proprietary genome-wide methylome enrichment technology, will present results demonstrating the ability of its tissue-agnostic MRD assay to predict recurrence in head & neck cancer, during an Oral Presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on June 3, 2024.

“MRD tests have the potential to enable clinicians to individualize patient treatment based on a patient’s likelihood of a future recurrence. In addition, these tests can assist with identifying patients who may benefit from being more closely monitored with imaging to detect and treat a recurrence as early as possible,” said Geoffrey Liu, MSc, MD, Senior Scientist, University Health Network - Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. “We are highly encouraged by these results demonstrating the ability of this genome-wide methylome enrichment platform to identify recurrences in head & neck cancer in advance of clinical presentation or routine imaging.”

The ability of Adela’s assay to quantify cfDNA cancer signal and predict recurrence was evaluated in individuals diagnosed with stage I-IVB human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative and HPV-positive head and neck cancer treated at University Health Network - Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. This training analysis included 432 plasma samples collected from 130 patients (a subset of the full cohort of >1,100 plasma samples from >300 individuals). Blood draws occurred before and after curative intent treatment, and in a subset of patients, at 12 and 24 months post-curative intent treatment. Adela’s MRD assay demonstrated the ability to identify patients more likely to recur than not, based on the landmark blood draw (mean 3 months following curative intent treatment), and also at the surveillance timepoints.

Significant differences in recurrence-free survival (RFS) were observed, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 6.31 (P<0.001) at the landmark timepoint, and an HR of 12.95 (P<0.001) for surveillance timepoints, when patients were stratified by MRD positivity. MRD status correlated with RFS in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative disease. Lead time between MRD positivity and recurrence was up to 19.3 months, with a mean lead time of 5.1 months.

“Up to 80% of recurrences in patients with head & neck cancer are not detected until symptoms or physical findings are reported by the patient^1. Routine surveillance for recurrences with MRD testing can enable earlier detection and treatment of recurrences with immunotherapy,” said Dr. Anne-Renee Hartman, Chief Medical Officer of Adela. “We are excited about the potential of our tissue-agnostic approach to MRD detection for both HPV-positive and HPV-negative head & neck cancer to address this strong unmet need.”

Validation results from a held-out test set from the cohort will be presented at a future meeting. A Research Use Only (RUO) version of Adela’s MRD test is currently available to biopharmaceutical companies and other investigators for use in biomarker discovery and drug development. Adela plans to commercialize the test for clinical use in 2025.

Presentation Details

Abstract # 3009: Performance characteristics of a tissue-agnostic genome-wide methylome enrichment MRD assay for head and neck malignancies.
Geoffrey Liu²
Mon June 3, 2024 4:42 PM CDT
Hall D2

About Adela
Adela is developing best-in-class technology to accelerate the diagnosis and improve the management of cancer through blood tests for minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring and multi-cancer early detection (MCED). Adela’s genome-wide methylome enrichment platform, which utilizes the company’s patented cfMeDIP-seq platform, efficiently captures extensive, biologically-relevant genomic information to maximize test performance and improve treatment decisions. The company’s platform specifically isolates the information-rich (methylated) regions of the genome through a high-affinity enrichment process, enabling it to capture and preserve more genomic material for sequencing compared to other platforms that use enzymatic or chemical treatment (bisulfite conversion). This comprehensive view of the methylome significantly increases the opportunities for Adela’s products to detect cancer signals in the blood compared to approaches that target a smaller set of genomic regions. It also enables enhanced prognostic and predictive abilities, as well as dynamic monitoring in patients over time. Adela’s approach to MRD testing is tissue agnostic, eliminating the burden of acquiring a tumor sample. Adela’s investors are F-Prime Capital, OrbiMed, Deerfield Management, Decheng Capital, RA Capital Management, and Labcorp. Find more information at adelabio.com.

¹ Agrawal A et al., Role of the physician versus the patient in the detection of recurrent disease following treatment for head and neck cancer. Laryngoscope. 2004 Feb;114(2):232-5. doi: 10.1097/00005537-200402000-00011.
² Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

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