SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InterVenn Biosciences, the leader in glycoproteomics, announced today that it has developed a glycoproteomics-based signature that accurately predicts which malignant melanoma patients will respond to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. InterVenn’s assay, performed via blood-based liquid biopsy as opposed to a tumor tissue sample, demonstrated that patients who test positive for the InterVenn signature have a 9-fold higher likelihood of responding to checkpoint inhibitors compared to those who test negative. In a longitudinal study of 36 patients, all of whom received checkpoint-inhibitor therapy, 70 percent of patients who tested positive for the signature remained progression-free at 18 months after treatment initiation, as compared to patients who tested negative, 50 percent of whom showed progression as early as at 1 month. The results were presented in a poster presentation (#387) at the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021: Discovery Science Driving Clinical Breakthroughs.

Checkpoint inhibitors have proven to be powerful anti-tumor drugs, oftentimes providing long-lasting durable responses and cancer remissions in many indications. However, only approximately 1 in 3 patients will respond, exposing those not deriving any benefit needlessly to potentially serious adverse events. Efforts at finding biomarkers to predict treatment response and guide therapy using DNA-or RNA-based tests have so far had only marginal success. In contrast, InterVenn’s glycoproteomic signature was shown highly effective in identifying patients who will benefit from this therapy, thus potentially avoiding the risk of serious side effects in patients who are unlikely to benefit from these drugs. Further studies are ongoing.

The response-prediction signature was identified using InterVenn’s proprietary, patented foundational technology that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning for ultra-high-throughput processing of mass spectrometry data to identify and apply glycopeptides as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment selection. These findings are the latest in a series of developments from InterVenn in advancing the world’s first glycoproteomics-based LDT (Laboratory-Developed Test.) The company’s first diagnostic product, a non-invasive liquid biopsy test for ovarian cancer, will have final data from its initial clinical trial, V.O.C.A.L., in the first half of 2021. InterVenn’s on-site laboratory received CLIA certification in late 2020 to make its tests available to the medical community.

“We are getting closer to realizing the true potential of personalized medicine and to selecting the optimal therapy for each individual patient based on a deep understanding of the biology of their disease,” said Klaus Lindpaintner, MD, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of InterVenn. “By leveraging the power of AI, we have been able to make huge strides in generating and delivering valuable information to physicians to help them guide the care of their patients in ways which, without our powerful platform, have never before been possible.”

To find out more about InterVenn Biosciences and how the company is leveraging artificial intelligence and mass spectrometry to the transformation of medical technology, visit https://intervenn.com. For all media inquiries about InterVenn Biosciences, please contact Andrea Vuturo at press@venn.bio

About InterVenn Biosciences

InterVenn Biosciences utilizes a proprietary glycoproteomic biomarker discovery and interrogation platform based on artificial intelligence-empowered mass spectrometry for next-gen precision medicine. The company is working on developing novel predictive tests in a range of indications, including ovarian, pancreatic, liver, prostate, lung, kidney and other cancers, as well as on tests for treatment response prediction and monitoring of treatment efficacy, and disease progression. For more information about InterVenn Biosciences, please visit the company’s website.

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