Press Release

• Rare parallel analyses of directly matched CTCs, utilizing TellBio’s TellDx platform, and ctDNA samples showing 95% concordance published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
• Isolation of intact mRNA from CTCs may provide additional insights into mechanisms of resistance to endocrine therapy
• Real-time non-invasive approach to characterize CTCs may predict response to endocrine therapy and facilitate administration of personalized treatment strategies

BEVERLY, Mass., July 15 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TellBio, Inc., a development stage biotechnology company focused on revolutionizing the detection of cancer through its unique and proprietary circulating tumor cell (CTC) technology, TellDx, and treatment through its complementary therapeutics platform, TellRx, announces publication of data from the scientific founders showing high concordance of detecting ESR1 mutations in CTCs and ctDNA among patients diagnosed with ER-positive metastatic breast cancer.  The results are published in the July 2021 issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment (DOI: 10.1007/s10549-021-06270-z).

Detection and monitoring of cancer progression is traditionally accomplished via invasive and time-consuming methods including tissue biopsies and/or radiographic scans.  Liquid biopsies, sampling and analysis of non-solid biological tissue (primarily blood), are an evolving and less invasive approach for real-time monitoring of cancer progression and assessment of treatment response.

Circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are emerging minimally invasive liquid biopsy approaches that can help establish early diagnosis, accurate prognosis, and monitor disease progression, as well as aid in personalizing treatment regimens. “CTC detection and analysis is a cutting-edge, next generation approach to liquid biopsies, offering significant advantages to ctDNA-based technologies.  As demonstrated in this publication, CTC genotyping achieved a very high concordance with ctDNA, but it can also provide additional comprehensive information on changes to the transcriptome and proteome.  We believe that our TellDx platform can be used for real-time monitoring of disease progression, provide insights into disease and drug resistance, and inform tailored treatment decisions,” said Pritesh J. Gandhi, PharmD, CEO, TellBio.

In this paper, the authors, including TellBio scientific founders, Dr Ravi Kapur, and Drs Mehmet Toner, Shyamala Maheswaran, and Daniel A. Haber, of Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, compared results of CTC and ctDNA genotyping for somatically acquired ESR1 mutations in matched blood specimens in a prospectively followed cohort of patients with advanced metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. CTCs were isolated using the proprietary microfluidic CTC-iChip technology (TellDx) while ctDNA was extracted from plasma using the QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit. Using standard multiplex droplet digital PCR assays, the investigators showed very high concordance (95%) in detecting ESR1 mutations between CTCs and ctDNA.

Additionally, the authors noted that the ability to isolate intact mRNA from CTCs made it possible to perform RNA-seq in patients with acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapies that were not caused by ESR1 mutations. Elevated ER-coactivator RNA signatures in women with wild-type ESR1 suggest alternative mechanisms of acquired AI resistance with persistent response to second line hormonal agents.  “These data suggest that while both ctDNA and CTC are viable methods for monitoring disease progression, RNA-sequencing of single CTCs can reveal additional information regarding tumor behavior and resistance providing a means to guide selection of personalized therapies,” said Dr. Maheswaran.

About TellBio

The Company is a development stage biotechnology company based in Beverly, Massachusetts, with the goal to revolutionize the detection and treatment of cancer through its unique and proprietary circulating tumor cell (CTC) technology and complementary therapeutics platform, TellDx and TellRx, respectively. TellBio’s vision is to free patients and their families from the tyranny of cancer via both its TellDx and TellRx platforms.

TellDx is a fully functional diagnostic solution aimed at detecting viable CTCs from patient liquid biopsies. TellRx is the therapeutics platform that generates novel anti-cancer medicines by specifically targeting CTCs. The synergy of these platforms offers TellBio a unique opportunity to detect CTCs via a first-in-class, best-in-class microfluidic diagnostic platform and target CTCs with novel therapeutics to optimize outcomes of patients with cancer.