OncoHost Launches Study on Biomarkers for Renal Cell Carcinoma

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Kidney Cancer Research Aims to Enhance Metastatic Patient Management by Pinpointing Biomarker to Optimize Clinical Decision-Making

OncoHost, a technology company transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes, has launched a research study with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to identify biomarkers for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a type of kidney cancer.

Immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has transformed treatment outcomes for RCC. However, ICIs can also trigger immune-related adverse events and may not benefit all patients.

“We are excited to collaborate with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on this important research study,” said Ofer Sharon, MD, CEO of OncoHost. “As we enter the era of precision medicine, validated biomarkers are increasingly used to guide treatment decisions and uncover resistance pathways in various types of tumors. However,  RCC lacks reliable biomarkers to predict ICI response. Our goal is to overcome this  challenge to improve clinical decision-making in the first line setting and, ultimately, patient outcomes.”

The collaboration will leverage Dana-Farber’s repository of patient plasma samples and corresponding clinical data, providing essential materials for OncoHost to create a proteomic plasma profile.

“Patients with renal cell carcinoma currently do not have any blood test that can help make personalized treatment recommendations,” said Wenxin Xu, MD, Physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Principal Investigator of the research study. “This study explores whether measuring blood levels of thousands of cancer related proteins can be used to build personalized, data-driven predictions. If successful, the data we generate could help us learn more about the biology of renal cell carcinoma and its treatments.”

The primary objectives of the study include creating a proteomic plasma profile of metastatic RCC patients before treatment, thereby associating protein expression changes with treatment response metrics like Best Response, Overall Survival, and Progression-Free Survival, and evaluating differential response predictions to specific treatment combinations.

The research project will also explore proteomic pathways associated with treatment response and immune-related adverse events (irAEs), offering potential  insights into  treatment options and biological patterns of resistance. Comparisons with pathways identified in other cancers, as part of the PROPHETIC trial (NCT04056247), will further enhance the understanding of RCC’s unique biomolecular landscape.