Can the use of full RNA transcripts be key to better cancer detection technology?

“RNA technologies have the potential to unlock deeper insights into cancer biology, enabling earlier interventions and more informed treatment choices”- Nick McCooke

During the recent Early Detection of Cancer Conference (EDCC) in San Francisco, (Oct 23), University of Edinburgh spin-out Wobble Genomics demonstrated its technology utilising full-length RNA transcripts as biomarkers to achieve early-stage breast cancer detection with 80% sensitivity at 95% specificity.

The UK findings presented by the Roslin Institute-based med-biotech, were based on a prospective clinical study of 101 breast cancer patients and an age-matched control cohort of 101 individuals without breast cancer. By building comprehensive transcriptome profiles using full-length RNA sequencing from liquid biopsies, the company was able to separate cancer-associated RNA sequences from controls, finding new unique transcripts and creating a strong predictive diagnostic for detecting early-stage breast cancer.  The technology was also said to show potential to provide biological and clinical insights that leading to improved monitoring of disease progression, inform treatment decisions, understand treatment response and accelerate drug development for cancer.

Technology could advance findings

Dr Mike Dixon OBE, Professor of Surgery, Consultant Surgeon and Wobble Genomics collaborator, said: “While still in early stages, Wobble Genomics’ technology has the potential to exceed current methods of sequencing-based liquid biopsy diagnostics for breast cancer by providing information on tumour type, cancer activity, and monitoring response to treatment. I am looking forward to the future development of the technology, and for what it could mean for patients and the fight against cancer.”

Dr Han-Yu Chuang, Consulting Chief Technology Officer, said: “In the past, DNA has been central to the development of molecular diagnostic tools that have enabled the introduction of precision medicine in recent years. However, DNA has a limited scope when it comes to its utility as a diagnostic option and, as such, it can be hard to unveil the complex disease biology underlying cancers. Wobble Genomics’ technology now enables us to directly measure cellular functional states using full-length RNAs. Their diagnostic platform has achieved exceptionally high accuracy in one of the most challenging cancers to diagnose at early stages via liquid biopsy. The platform also unveils the genetic heterogeneity observed in cancer, making further strides towards early detection, progression monitoring, and treatment response.”

Established in 2021 by Dr Richard Kuo, Wobble Genomics has since been operating in stealth mode, working to establish itself in long-read RNA sequencing, a relatively new approach. Its proprietary technologies Level-Up and TAMA enable the company’s scientists to investigate low level RNA biomarkers.

Emerging from stealth mode

“We are in an exciting new era of healthcare, with the advent of new cancer therapies that have the potential to save millions of lives, and to fulfil this new potential we need the tools to see cancer in a more informative way”, said Dr Richard Kuo, Founder and CEO of Wobble Genomics. “At Wobble Genomics, we are proud to share our novel methodology for detecting RNA that were previously invisible, because when you see more, you can do more. We are excited to now sharpen our focus on working with the scientific community, with a view to accelerating advancements in oncology and ultimately, patient care.”

“RNA technologies have the potential to unlock deeper insights into cancer biology, enabling earlier interventions and more informed treatment choices. I’m excited by the potential of Wobble Genomics’ technologies and will continue to champion them for the potential they could bring to early diagnosis and improved human health,” said Nick McCooke, Wobble Genomics Advisor and Founding CEO of Solexa and Next Generation Sequencing pioneer.

More information online

Reference: Presentation poster: Novel Liquid biopsy technology reveals hidden RNA signals in early-stage breast cancer

Authors: Richard I. Kuo*, Yuanyuan Cheng*, Björn Geigle*, Gabriel Benitez*, Katrina Morris*, Juan Carlos Entizne*, Ahmad Zyoud*, Amy Robinson*, Jillian VanOrsouw**, Mark Barnett*, Arran Turnbull**, Rick Hockett*, Han-Yu Chuang*, J Michael Dixon**

*Wobble Genomics Ltd. ** Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, UK