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ASH 2020 | Development of a novel next generation myeloma-specific liquid biopsy approach
Daniel AuClair, PhD, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Norwalk, CT, discusses the development of a multiple myeloma-specific next generation liquid biopsy approach to be used in blood sample characterization studies. A 70-gene assay was developed to detect common alterations in myeloma and clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) genes in circulating-free DNA (cfDNA). Validation data found the assay to be highly sensitive and specific. When identified variants from the cfDNA assay were compared to bone marrow aspirates from a clinical cohort, the vast majority were picked up in the new assay. A clinical-grade pipeline was also established to rapidly inform patients and their physician of their results. This minimally invasive direct-to-patient approach may become an important new testing option. This interview took place during the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, 2020.
