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Learn more about QuantSeq 3’ mRNA-Seq Library Prep Kits.
What You Will Learn:
- Discover how RNA-based diagnostics are transforming immuno-oncology by predicting patient response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).
- Explore the development and clinical validation of OncoPrism, an RNA-sequencing platform using machine learning to analyze the tumor immune microenvironment gene expression patterns.
- Learn how OncoPrism outperforms traditional biomarkers like PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden across multiple cancer types.
- Get insights into the importance of robust RNA-seq methods, reproducibility, and analytical rigor in clinical assay development.
- See how Lexogen’s RNA library prep solutions support cutting-edge cancer diagnostics.
Understanding and predicting which patients will respond to immunotherapies remains one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment. This webinar introduces OncoPrism, a clinically validated RNA-based diagnostic platform that brings precision to immunotherapy by characterizing the tumor immune microenvironment.
In the first part of the webinar, Dr. Kevin Flanagan, Director of Translational Science at Cofactor Genomics, presents the scientific and clinical rationale behind OncoPrism, including key findings from trials in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM-HNSCC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). He explains how the platform uses gene expression and machine learning to deliver superior predictive performance compared to traditional biomarkers.
In the second part, Dr. Yvonne Goepel, Head of Marketing and Product Management at Lexogen, introduces the RNA sequencing technology behind these breakthroughs.
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) such as anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies have revolutionized treatment across 17 approved cancer indications. ICI often lead to durable responses in the subset of patients who respond. Unfortunately, only 20-50% of patients benefit from ICI, and current clinical diagnostics are poor predictors of patient response. In the era of precision medicine, there is a critical need to identify those patients who will benefit from ICI. OncoPrism is an RNA-sequencing based diagnostic platform that characterizes tumor immune microenvironment gene expression to predict ICI response using machine learning. OncoPrism has been analytically and clinically validated in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM-HNSCC) and Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), representing approximately 1.5 million cancer cases globally each year. In RM-HNSCC, the OncoPrism prediction significantly correlated with disease control and progression-free survival (p=0.004 and p=0.015, respectively) in the multicenter PREDAPT clinical trial (NCT04510129). Further, OncoPrism-HNSCC outperformed the biomarkers PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden, with more than threefold higher specificity than PD-L1 combined positive score and nearly fourfold higher sensitivity than tumor mutational burden for predicting disease control. OncoPrism-HNSCC earned Medicare coverage in 2024 based on these trial results. Likewise, in NSCLC, the OncoPrism prediction was significantly correlated with overall response rate (p=0.015). In both indications, OncoPrism was highly reproducible with low analytical variation, crucial for successful clinical validation and implementation. OncoPrism is also available for research use in colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, kidney cancer, and bladder cancer. OncoPrism is a clinically validated platform that enables more cancer patients to receive the right treatment and avoid unnecessary and potentially harmful treatments.
Kevin Flanagan, PhD
Director of Translational Science Cofactor Genomics
Kevin Flanagan, PhD, is the Director of Translational Science at Cofactor Genomics where he leads the development of RNA-based diagnostics. He is experienced in product and method development, assay validation, and clinical lab management. His research has focused on the tumor microenvironment, regulation of gene expression, senescence, and cell signaling. He received his PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Yvonne Goepel
Head of Marketing and Product Management, Lexogen
Yvonne obtained her PhD in Microbiology from Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences of the University of Göttingen where she focused on regulatory RNAs in Bacteria. As postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna, Yvonne continued her work on non-coding RNAs and regulated turn-over before starting as a Research Scientist at Lexogen applying her expertise in molecular RNA Biology to develop new methods and kits that facilitate RNA-Seq workflows and help researchers worldwide with their discoveries. Yvonne is Head of Marketing and Product Management at Lexogen, helping to drive innovation for The RNA Experts.
