Yemaachi Biotech, Lucence Aim to Improve Genomic Breast Cancer Testing in Ghana and Beyond
NEW YORK (GENOME WEB) – Cancer liquid biopsy firm Lucence and Ghanaian cancer research company Yemaachi Biotech are collaborating to more fully document and characterize the genomics of breast cancer in women of African descent.
Lucence expects to use the data generated in this pilot study to provide more personalized care to US patients of African descent, while Yemaachi aims to develop a low-cost liquid biopsy cancer test for women throughout Ghana and neighboring countries.
Last week, the partners announced the prospective and observational Liquid Biopsy for Detection of Actionable Genomic Mutations in Women of African Descent with Advanced Breast Cancer, or AMBER study. The project uses Lucence’s LiquidHallmark liquid biopsy assay, alongside tissue samples, to evaluate the utility of cell-free DNA liquid biopsy testing to identify actionable mutations in metastatic breast cancers patients in Ghana and study their tumors’ mutation profiles.
Specifically, it will look for actionable mutations in certain genes, including PIK3CA, BRCA1, BRCA2, and ESR1, in treatment-naïve metastatic breast cancer patients recruited at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, with whom Yemaachi has collaborated in the past, including one recent study to assess the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers.
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