IntegraGen SA Collaborating With FIRE-3 Clinical Trial Investigators To Study Hsa-Mir-31-3p Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Biomarker

EVRY, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IntegraGen (FR0010908723 - ALINT - PEA Eligible SMEs), a company specializing in decoding the human genome and the development and marketing of molecular diagnostic testing in oncology and autism, today announced a collaboration with investigators from the FIRE-3 clinical trial (AIO KRK-0306) to further study the oncology biomarker hsa-miR-31-3p, a microRNA whose expression has been shown to be associated with anti-EGFR effect in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with anti-EGFR therapy.

“Our objective with this research is to identify biomarkers which can predict outcome differences in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with anti-EGFR and to potentially better understand the impact of sequential drug therapy with these agents on patient survival.”

The FIRE-3 study is a phase 3 clinical trial comparing outcomes of 592 KRAS Exon 2 wild-type stage IV colorectal cancer patients randomized to receive FOLFIRI therapy (5-FU, folinic acid and irinotecan) in combination with either cetuximab or bevacizumab. The present collaboration with IntegraGen will explore the expression level of hsa-miR-31-3p in primary tumors from patients enrolled in the FIRE-3 study with the goal of providing further evidence of the ability of miR-31-3p to predict clinical outcomes in patients treated with anti-EGFR therapies.

“This collaboration will allow us to further confirm that the miR-31-3p biomarker is predictive of effects of anti-EGFR therapy in wild-type KRAS patients with metastatic colorectal cancer,” stated Francois Liebaert, M.D., IntegraGen’s Vice-President of R&D and Medical Affairs. “The FIRE-3 trial represents one of the largest clinical trials comparing outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated in first line with either anti-EGFR or anti-VEGF therapy and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with the investigators from this landmark study.”

“This collaboration with IntegraGen will permit us to further understand the differences in clinical outcomes we have reported for patients enrolled in the FIRE-3 study,” commented Professor Volker Heinemann, from the Department of Medical Oncology and Comprehensive Cancer Center at University Hospital Grosshadern in Munich, Germany and lead investigator for the FIRE-3 study. “Our objective with this research is to identify biomarkers which can predict outcome differences in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with anti-EGFR and to potentially better understand the impact of sequential drug therapy with these agents on patient survival.”

ABOUT INTEGRAGEN

IntegraGen is a company that specializes in deciphering the human genome and produces relevant and easily interpretable data for academic and private laboratories. IntegraGen’s oncology efforts provide researchers and clinicians with sophisticated tools for analysis and therapeutic individualization of treatment approaches allowing them to tailor therapy to the genetic profiles of patients.

As of December 31, 2014, IntegraGen had 34 employees and had generated revenue of €6 million in 2014 Based in the Evry Genopole, IntegraGen also has an U.S. office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

IntegraGen is listed on Alternext of Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0010908723 - Ticker: ALINT - PEA-SME).

For more information on IntegraGen visit www.integragen.com