The company’s 6‑base sequencing solution integrates additional methylation signals, delivering an AUC of 0.95 for stage I CRC from liquid biopsy
CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--biomodal, an omics-based life sciences technology and analytics company, today announced the publication of a study in Nature Communications Medicine showcasing how the combination of methylation and hydroxymethylation biomarkers, using its proprietary duet multiomic technology, improves the earlier detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) via liquid biopsy.
The study demonstrates that biomodal’s duet evoC, a multiomic solution that enables the 6-base genome, simultaneously distinguishes between two functionally distinct epigenetic markers, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to provide a powerful advance over current methods used in liquid biopsy. Other methods either miss these critical epigenetic biomarkers or conflate them into a ‘modified cytosine’ (modC) readout.
In the study, cfDNA samples from CRC-treatment-naïve patients were analyzed versus healthy controls. By integrating 5mC and 5hmC measurements, the company’s models achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 95% (AUC = 0.95) for stage I CRC samples, far surpassing conventional approaches that provide a conflated modC readout (AUC = 0.66). Importantly, the research revealed that nearly half of the genomic regions examined were undergoing activation in the progression to later stage cancer, showing increased 5hmC in early-stage (stage I) cancers and decreased 5mC in late-stage (stage IV) cancers. This highlights 5hmC’s potential to reveal otherwise invisible sensitive biomarkers for disease development and progression.
“We know that earlier cancer detection is critical to improving patient survival, yet most of today’s methods fall short,” said Robert Osborne, biomodal’s Senior Vice President, Research and Development and lead author of the paper. “With our 6-base approach, we have demonstrated that by separately measuring and integrating both methylcytosine with hydroxymethylcytosine changes, we can capture biological signals that were previously hidden, opening the door to more sensitive, accurate, and informative liquid biopsy testing.”
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Detecting the disease at stage I can increase survival rates to over 90%, but most patients are still diagnosed at later stages when treatment options become more limited. biomodal’s findings underscore the value of incorporating hydroxymethylation information with existing methylation and mutational signatures into liquid biopsy to advance earlier detection and ultimately improve patient care.
“Changes in DNA methylation patterns are among the earliest alterations observed in cancer cells, making them useful as biomarkers across oncology applications, from detection to monitoring treatment response,” said Prof. Sarah-Jane Dawson, clinician scientist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Centre for Cancer Research University of Melbourne. “biomodal is equipping the research community with more precise tools to interrogate biological changes at their earliest molecular stages, as well as to translate those findings into developing next-generation diagnostics and therapies in oncology and beyond.”
The full study, “5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are synergistic biomarkers for early detection of colorectal cancer,” is available in Nature Communications Medicine.
About biomodal ltd.
biomodal is an omics-based life sciences technology and analytics company delivering products that bring the dynamism of our ever-changing biology into focus. Our duet multiomics solutions enable more epigenetic information from a single, low input DNA sample without complex, resource intensive bioinformatics or harsh chemical treatment. Our single-base-resolution, resolved sequencing approach unlocks the combinatorial power of genetic and epigenetic information in one workflow, elucidating greater biological insight within the fields of cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and ageing.
Please visit biomodal.com or follow the Company on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/biomodal
Contacts
Media Contact
Donna McDade Walker, PhD
VP, Global Marketing & Product Management
donna.mcdadewalker@biomodal.com
