Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation (AHERF) collaborates with Datar Genetics to validate Liquid Biopsy for Brain tumors

On May 4, 2015,Datar Genetics Limited (Datar), a renowned Centre for Molecular and Genetic Analysis announced a strategic collaboration with Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation (AHERF), a premier DSIR recognized organization focused on basic and translational research. The collaboration envisages establishing a liquid biopsy platform for detecting Glioblastomas (GBM), one of the most aggressive malignant brain tumours in humans.

The project is the first of its kind in India. This clinical collaboration will pave the way towards development and deployment of Exosome based diagnostics by providing clinicians a non-invasive tool for prognosis, diagnosis, cancer recurrence and therapy monitoring.

Based on the diagnostic criteria provided by World health Organization (WHO), Histopathological assessment has so far been considered the gold standard for identification of brain tumors. However, the diagnosis procedure is not always precise due to substantial inter-observer variation, heterogeneous nature of tumors and complications arising from invasive cerebral biopsy. Management of GBMs remain challenging as there are no current curative treatments and therefore, mortality rates continue to stagnate at high levels.

AHERF researchers along with clinicians from Apollo Hospitals have combined their knowledge and clinical expertise to explore a liquid biopsy assay for detecting Brain Tumors. Using its Exosome platform, AHERF has developed a preliminary non-invasive blood based diagnostic biomarker for early detection and monitoring of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM).

Datar Genetics having a state of art facility at Nashik and a specialized team of scientists has now undertaken the challenge to further validate and offer to patients Exosome biomarker detection for GBMs based upon the studies carried out by AHERF. The intent of the collaboration is to translate this liquid biopsy technology into a clinically applicable diagnostic platform which will immensely help the neuro oncologists to stratify tumor patients in real time for disease progression and therapy response. Further, this platform shall also enable a non-invasive insight for recurrence monitoring. Reports have shown that Exosomes can be harnessed for their diagnostic potential.

AHERF will provide Datar Genetics the necessary technical and clinical support for co-validation of the assay. For the same, AHERF has assembled a consortium of Apollo Hospital’s Neuro-oncologists to conduct collaborative research to understand brain tumors.