Navaux announces that new pre-clinical and clinical data evaluating the prognostic potential of circulating Hepsin have been selected for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The poster presentation is now available online.
For greater than a decade, Hepsin has been known to play a key role in prostate cancer development and progression. However, most of these studies were aimed at the gene expression level as detection of the protein itself rendered more questions than clinically actionable findings. This inability to consistently and reliably detect Hepsin at the protein level stems from traditional antibody development approaches that targeted a tumor-naïve, inactivated form of Hepsin. Hepsin in cancer, as we now understand from recent studies, exists as a soluble, circulating molecule.
Scientists at Navaux have successfully overcome prior issues surrounding the detection of activated circulating Hepsin in the bodily fluids. The resulting liquid biopsy has undergone rigorous analytical validation and is now being used prospectively at the time of biopsy as a longitudinal means of early metastasis detection/risk stratification as well as response to treatment.
“It’s an honor to present at the annual AACR meeting; presentation of clinical data at a meeting of this caliber provides multiple avenues for discussion and further collaborative thought” said Dr. Blake Johnson, Chief Scientist and Director at Navaux. “As we continue to evaluate circulating Hepsin as a prognostic marker for prostate cancer, and broaden our research to understand its biological impact on disease progression, we are pleased to highlight data that link the therapeutic potential of circulating Hepsin to difficult-to-treat prostate cancer.”
Below is a brief description of the abstract accepted publication at this year’s AACR Annual Meeting.
Title: Circulating Hepsin as a Novel Serum Biomarker in Prostate Cancer Patients
Authors: John Beard1, Sam Eddington2, Noah Bowman2, Adam Cole3, Timothy O’Brien1 and Blake P. Johnson1,2
Navaux, Inc., Little Rock, AR1
Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR2
Arkansas Urology, Little Rock, AR3
