Myriad Genetics Inc. (MYGN) presented clinical data at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The presentation involved the announcement of Myriad's HRD (homologous recombination deficiency) test, that showed cisplatin response in patients impacted by triple negative breast cancer.
This is the second such study supporting the validity of the Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) test to predict platinum therapy drug response in triple-negative breast cancer patients.
Triple negative breast cancer is found to be aggressive in nature and also has high chances of recurrence. Around 15% of all breast cancer cases are triple negative and respond to chemotherapy.
This initiative was taken after extensive research discovered that tumors with high rates of double-strand DNA repair deficiency are hard to treat. The HRD score successfully predicted all the patients who experienced a complete response after pre-surgical treatment with platinum with a sensitivity of 100%.
The HRD score also showed that it can not only be used to measure the degree of drug response in triple negative patients but also its potential effectiveness on breast cancer subtypes. The results from the clinical study promises to determine the quantum of DNA damage and has therefore proven useful in targeting DNA damaging therapy to those patients who have chances of responding to the specific therapy.
Additionally the HRD score fulfils the need for a comprehensive test to identify patients who could benefit from treatment with PARP (Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase) inhibitors or DNA damaging agents.
Globally, medical research professionals have been constantly trying to formulate new ways and means to determine the genetic causes of DNA repair deficiency in the treatment of fatal diseases, such as cancer.
Recently, Myriad Genetics announced to get extensive clinical validity data for the diagnostic test, myRisk Hereditary Cancer test confirming its success in the detection of hereditary cancers.
Lately, Myriad Genetics has entered into commercial collaborations to further develop the test. Such developments are believed to further expand the usage of the test for better and improved cancer treatments.
Currently, Myriad Genetics Inc. carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Investors interested in the industry may consider stocks like Actelion Ltd. (ALIOF) and Heska Corp. (HSKA) and Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VNDA). All these stocks carry Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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