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Priya Hays
Second Edition
123
Advancing Healthcare Through Personalized
Medicine
Priya Hays
Advancing Healthcare
Through Personalized
Medicine
Second Edition
Priya Hays
Personalis, Inc
San Mateo
USA
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2021
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Come to me whole: with
your flaws, your scars and
everything you consider
Imperfect.
Then let me show you what I
see. I see galaxies in your
eyes and fire in your hair.
I see journeys in your palms
and adventure waiting in your
smile. I see what you cannot:
you are absolutely, maddeningly,
Irrevocably perfect.---
Ariana Reines, Come To Me Whole
To Sherrill Hays, the dearest mother-in-law
that any daughter could wish for.
To the American Society of Clinical
Oncology, the American College of Medical
Genetics and Genomics, and the Society for
Immunotherapy of Cancer for granting their
elections to me.
Medical societies with character:
Great honors to be bestowed upon
high standards to live by
Preface to the Second Edition
The second edition of this book has benefitted appreciably from the recent advances
in precision medicine. Oncology is expanding to include cancer immunotherapies
and newer targeted agents with significant clinical outcomes; personalized medicine
technologies are having immediate impact in the development of wearable devices
that can monitor heart rate and other physiological parameters; and the implementa-
tion of artificial intelligence, digital pathology, and big data in personalized health-
care is ongoing. The storage of patient data is being revolutionized by electronic
health records, which, along with decision support tools, are allowing patients and
providers to have immediate access to genomic data; however, data privacy con-
cerns remain. Precision medicine clinical trials are presenting data that has signifi-
cant implications for the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive
cell therapies. This book presents precision medicine trials as a snapshot in time and
leads the reader to “keep up” with subsequent data in their therapeutic area of inter-
est. Novel submissions to the FDA on precision medicine n-of-1 patients are also
changing the regulatory landscape considerably. Ethical considerations are still
paramount, especially concerning health disparities, data sharing, and the discovery
of variants of uncertain significance uncovered by sequencing. Financial toxicity is
a recurrent theme in the health outcomes and quality of life for precision medicines,
as they remain costly, but also demonstrate cost effectiveness.
This book is tailored for physicians and physician/scientists, and other members
of the medical community, who strive tirelessly in the interests of their patients’
health. Scientists who are invested in personalized medicine research also constitute
a primary audience. I consider this book as analogously performed in their efforts
towards advancing healthcare through personalized medicine.
ix
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the outstanding resources offered
by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American College of
Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), and the Society for Immunotherapy of
Cancer (SITC). I am a member of all three medical societies and am a beneficiary
of their communication to their members, which provides cutting-edge, relevant,
and informative material on topics such as recent clinical trials evaluating precision
oncology regimens, translational genomic medicine, and new FDA breakthroughs
in cancer immunotherapies. This book is dedicated to these organizations, and I
remain indebted to them for their interactions with members. I also need thank
Cambridge HealthTech for providing access to their updated information on corpo-
rate involvement in personalized medicine, and Academia.edu, of which I am also a
member, for providing articles on the ethical, legal, and social implications of preci-
sion medicine.
I also thank my family and friends for their support while I was crafting the sec-
ond edition, and give a special thanks to Sherrill Hays, my mother-in-law, for her
guidance and encouragement. Finally, an acknowledgment goes out to the superb
editorial team at Springer Nature with whom I worked, and who provided steadfast
support to me throughout the course of this project: Sydney Keen, Eugenia Judson,
and Richard Lansing.
xi
Contents
xiii
xiv Contents
Analysis������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 162
Action�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 162
N of 1 Trial������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 165
Tumor Subtypes ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 165
Breast Cancer ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 165
Incidence and Mortality������������������������������������������������������������������ 165
Inherited Breast Cancer������������������������������������������������������������������ 166
Targeted Therapy Options in Breast Cancer Care���������������������������������� 167
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor: Tucatinib ���������������������������������������������������� 169
HER2+ /HER2-Positive Breast Cancer������������������������������������������ 169
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and Metastatic
Breast Cancer (mBC)���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 183
Biomarker Predicting Response to PARP Inhibitors �������������������������������� 183
“Study Supports Using MRD as a Stratification
Variable for Patients with TNBC” �������������������������������������������������������� 186
“Unexpected Survival Benefit Reported With Trilaciclib
in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer” �������������������������������������� 187
Olaparib�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 188
Talazoparib�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 189
Immunotherapy and Immunotherapy Combinations ���������������������������� 190
Newer Generation Targeted Therapy Agents���������������������������������� 195
Other Combination Agents ������������������������������������������������������������ 197
Recent Immunotherapies���������������������������������������������������������������� 198
Avelumab���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 200
Liquid Biopsy in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review ���������������� 200
Current Breast Cancer Diagnosis Standards���������������������������������������������� 201
Oncotype DX ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 202
MammaPrint������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 202
PAM50 (Prosigna)���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 203
Genomic Grade Index (GGI) (Ipsogen) ������������������������������������������������ 204
Veridex Rotterdam Signature 76 Genes ������������������������������������������������ 204
Ventana HER2 Dual ISH DNA Probe Cocktail Assay
for Detection of HER2 �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 204
RSClin TOOL: 21-Gene Recurrence Score (RS)���������������������������������� 205
HER2DX������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 205
Signatera MRD Test������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 206
Findings for Protein-Truncating and Missense Variants������������������������ 207
“Study Suggests 86-SNV Be Incorporated in Breast Cancer
Risk Prediction Models”���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 208
Conclusion �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 209
Colorectal Cancer �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 210
Colorectal Cancer Classification Systems �������������������������������������������� 211
Molecular Pathology and Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer������������ 211
“Molecular Testing in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer:
Understanding How, When, and What to Profile” �������������������������������� 211
xvi Contents
Index�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 733
“Introduction: Biomedical Innovation
and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 1
“Today I have the privilege of announcing a medical breakthrough. Like most scientific
breakthroughs, this one is not sudden, nor does it stand alone. Rather, like most scientific
advancement, it is a culmination of years of work and years of investment, by many people
in many different institutions, and even in different fields of medicine. We are here to
announce one dramatic product of all those efforts. But we believe many more products will
follow, based on years of scientific groundwork. So this is the right time to acknowledge
those efforts, to recognize that our investments in research are paying off, and to praise the
teamwork that has brought us here. It’s also the right time to talk about what this can mean
for our future—a future that promises a new level of precision and power in many of our
pharmaceutical products. Today the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new
drug, Gleevec, for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia—or CML. Let me just say that it
appears to change the odds dramatically for patients. And it does so with relatively low
occurrence of serious side effects.”
With the details of the effectiveness of Gleevec and its implications, Thompson’s
announcement quickly gained the news media’s attention. CNN cycled the story
every half hour throughout the day of the press conference. The Associated Press
wrote and updated the story several times, and the news made the front page of
newspapers nationwide. In the weeks following the announcement, extraordinary
coverage was given to Gleevec and its effects on cancer, including a cover story in
TIME magazine (May 28, 2001) and reports in the New York Times, USA Today,
and Newsweek.
Gleevec was proven to be effective not just against CML, but also against another
cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Three days after Thompson’s press
conference, during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
in San Francisco, Dr. Charles Blanke announced that the so-called “leukemia pill”
had stunning results against GIST [3] (https://liferaftgroup.org/wp-content/
uploads/2012/09/May2001newsletter.pdf).
According to a website for a GIST patient advocacy group a dozen years after its
approval, Gleevec is a relatively unknown pill. Why all the attention focused on one
orange pill against two relatively rare cancers (CML affects 4500 patients annually,
while GIST is even rarer)? Although primarily addressing CML rather than GIST,
Thompson broadly answered the question at the HHS press conference: Gleevec is
targeted therapy—it kills leukemia cells while sparing normal white blood cells.
Unlike other more strenuous chemotherapy regimens, Gleevec has relatively few
side effects. Gleevec targets the signal in the cell that causes cancer, acting as a
molecular switch. Gleevec is now the prototype of cancer drugs, and cancer research
laboratories around the world are trying to mimic the effects of Gleevec on other
types of cancers.
As reported by the National Cancer Institute, most of the 4500 Americans diag-
nosed with CML each year are middle-aged or older, although some are children.
CML does not present with symptoms in its early stages, as disease progresses
slowly. Bone marrow transplantation in the initial chronic phase of the disease was
the only known treatment for CML. However, suitable donors are difficult to find,
and many patients cannot tolerate transplantation due to health concerns, and even
among those patients, the side effects can be grave or even lethal. Prior to the devel-
opment of Gleevec, the drug interferon-alfa was prescribed and produced remis-
sions by restoring normal blood count in a majority of patients treated with the drug.
But still the prognosis remained bleak if the drug was found to be inefficacious.
With the advent of Gleevec, there have been higher remission rates in three short-
duration, early-phase clinical trials. In the results of one clinical trial, reported in
April 2001 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Gleevec restored normal blood
counts in 53 out of 54 interferon-resistant CML patients, a response rate rarely seen
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 3
in cancer with a single agent. Fifty-one of these patients were still doing well after a
year on the medicine, and most reported few minor side effects. Imatinib mesylate
was invented in the late 1990s by scientists at Ciba-Geigy (which merged with
Sandoz in 1996 to become Novartis), in a team led by biochemist Nicholas Lydon,
and its use to treat CML was driven by oncologist Brian Druker of Oregon Health &
Science University. Druker led the clinical trials confirming its efficacy in CML [4].
The scientific story of Gleevec, which became known as targeted therapy, a med-
ical breakthrough that was a result of years of research, heralds back to the discov-
ery of the BCR-ABL fusion gene from translocation occurring between chromosomes
9 and 22, the Philadelphia chromosome or also known as the Philadelphia transloca-
tion (Ph). In 1959, the Philadelphia chromosome was first discovered and described
by David Hungerford from Fox Chase Cancer Center (then the Institute for Cancer
Research) and Peter Nowell from the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine, and was named after the city in which both facilities are located
(Correction from First Edition). Ph is a specific genetic abnormality present in chro-
mosome 22 of CML cells. An unusually short, defective chromosome results from
the reciprocal translocation between genetic material between chromosomes 9 and
22 and a fusion gene BCR-ABL1 results. The ABL1 gene of chromosome 9 is jux-
taposed onto the breakpoint cluster region BCR gene of chromosome 22, coding for
a hybrid protein: a tyrosine kinase signaling protein that is constitutively on, leading
to uncontrolled cell division and impairment of signaling pathways, a hallmark of
cancer. CML diagnosis is predicated on the observation of this translocation, and
the BCR-ABL gene is present in all cases of CML. The presence of this transloca-
tion is required for diagnosis of CML; in other words, all cases of CML are positive
for BCR-ABL [5].
Gleevec is targeted therapy, designed to attack cells with this BCR-ABL translo-
cation. “For the first time, cancer researchers now have the necessary tools to probe
the molecular anatomy of tumor cells in search of cancer-causing proteins,” said
Richard Klausner of the National Cancer Institute. “Gleevec offers proof that
molecular targeting works in treating cancer, provided that the target is correctly
chosen. The challenge now is to find these targets.”
Recent studies have continued to show successful outcomes for Gleevec. Three
years of adjuvant treatment with Gleevec can prevent almost 50% of deaths in high-
risk GIST patients who underwent surgery in the first decade, according to long-
term data from the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group XVIII/German trial. In a 10-year
follow-up data presented at ASCO20, 400 patients with resectable GIST and high
risk for recurrence were randomly assigned to imatinib dosing for 3 years [6].
Efficacy as determined by “recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS)
efficacy for three years of adjuvant imatinib is highly superior as compared to 1 year
of imatinib.” The intention-to-treat cohort had a 10-year OS of 79% for 3 years of
imatinib versus 65% in the 1-year group (HR 0.55, 95% CI [0.37, 0.83]; p = 0.004)
[6]. Additionally, at 119 months follow-up, RFS and OS remained significantly bet-
ter in patients assigned to 3 years of imatinib compared with 1 year of imatinib.
Comparably, the intention-to-treat cohort had a 10-year RFS of 53% for 3 years
versus 42% for 1 year of imatinib (HR 0.66, 95% CI [0.49, 0.87]; p = 0.003) [6].
4 1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century”
There are hundreds of known mutations for cystic fibrosis (CF), an inherited
disease that affects the lung leading to complications such as pneumothorax. In
2012, the FDA approved a new therapy for CF called Kalydeco (known generically
as ivacaftor), which was approved for patients with a specific genetic mutation—
referred to as the G551D mutation—in a gene that is important for regulating the
transport of salt and water in the body. Approximately 4% cases are positive for the
G551D mutation. G551D is responsible for only 4% of cases in the United States
(approximately 1200 people). In these patients, the mechanism of action of Kalydeco
prevents the buildup of the sticky mucus on the surface of the lungs and can lead to
improper flow of salt and water, and is a precursor to life-threatening lung infections
such as pneumothorax. Kalydeco helps to restore the function of the protein of the
mutated gene that can lead to life-threatening lung infections and digestive problems.
However, the development and success of Kalydeco, even though targeted for a
relatively small group of patients, led to hope that a more “commonly occurring
mutation, a three-base deletion that results in a missing phenylalanine in codon
508” (Phe508del CFTR), would have effective treatments. The results of a pair of
phase III clinical trials recently published in an editorial in the New England Journal
of Medicine documented positive clinical outcomes from triple-drug therapy for
persons with cystic fibrosis and who had at least one copy of the Phe508del CFTR
mutation. These CF populations represent approximately 90% of persons affected
by this life-shortening autosomal recessive disease. Although only approximately
5% of patients with cystic fibrosis stood to benefited from ivacaftor, their “hearten-
ing clinical response served to stimulate vigorous pursuit of drugs for more com-
mon cystic fibrosis-causing mutations, especially the Phe508del CFTR mutation.
Two phase III, multicenter clinical trials reported now document the efficacy and
safety of elexacaftor–tezacaftor–ivacaftor triple-combination therapy (two correc-
tors, one potentiator) for patients with one or two copies of the Phe508del CFTR
mutation. [The editorial enthusiastically notes that] given the recent approval of this
therapy by the FDA, these findings indicate that it may be possible to offer safe and
effective molecularly targeted therapies to 90% of persons with cystic fibrosis” [7].
The profile of trastuzumab, more commonly known as Herceptin, also illustrates
many of the same principles of personalized medicine: targeted treatment for aggres-
sive breast cancer, making cancer cells retract while not damaging normal cells. The
history of Herceptin harks back to the discovery of the HER-2 gene by Robert
Weinberg in 1979, which he found to be involved in numerous cancer pathways. The
HER-2 gene makes a HER2 protein receptor that signals cells to grow by acting as a
growth factor. Dennis Slamon, a pivotal figure in the development of Herceptin,
announced at the May 1998 meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO) that he had discovered a novel antibody therapy against the HER-2 protein,
Herceptin. The mechanism of action of Herceptin is that it attaches to HER2 recep-
tors on the surface of breast cancer cells and prevents the cells from receiving growth
signals. Much of what was discussed about Gleevec applies to Herceptin: it is molec-
ularly targeted therapy that influences genetic processes and turns off the actions of
mutated genes, with fewer side effects for patients. The FDA approved Herceptin for
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 5
reflected a classical clinical trial design to some degree [12]. Instead of focusing on
one cancer, as trials have for decades, the National Cancer Institute’s NCI-MATCH
(Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice) trial included patients with any solid
tumor or lymphoma who have one of many genomic abnormalities known to drive
cancer, also known as a basket trial. Patients were matched with a targeted agent
that has shown promise against their abnormality, regardless of what cancer they
have. Known as a basket trial, the new design highlights the rapidly growing num-
ber of potential targets and agents in oncology and the urgency of finding more
efficient ways to evaluate them in trials [15].
According to a review published by the National Cancer Institute, “recent
advancements in cancer biomarkers and biomedical technology have begun to
transform the fundamentals of cancer therapeutics and clinical trials through inno-
vative adaptive trial designs. The goal of these studies is to learn not only if a drug
is safe and effective, but also how it is best delivered and who will derive the most
benefit” [16]. Heckman-Stoddard and Smith (2014) cite two trials in the early days
of precision medicine: I-SPY and BATTLE: The I-SPY-1 trial evaluated molecular
biomarkers of treatment and response and breast imaging to guide “adaptive” ther-
apy, that is, subsequent optimal treatments.
The I-SPY-1 trial assesses women with nonmetastatic advanced breast cancer
tested for molecular targets such as estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and
HER2. Mammaprint, a companion diagnostic, was utilized to predict recurrence
through analysis of a 70-gene signature [16]. The objective of I-SPY-1 was to dis-
cover molecular biomarkers associated with breast cancer and determine clinical
response. Chemotherapy was administered before surgery on a neoadjuvant basis,
and biomarkers were compared with tumor response based on magnetic resonance
imaging and 3-year disease-free survival. The results of the study were astounding
[16]. Pathologic complete response (pCR) (no invasive tumor present in breast or
adjacent lymph nodes) was distinguishable based on the subset of biomarkers tested.
HR-positive patients had the lowest pCR (9%), while HER2-positive patients had
the highest pCR (45%). The trial also determined that pCR predicted recurrence-
free survival in each molecular subset. According to the authors, the study estab-
lished the foundation for the integration of biomarkers with imaging and provided
real-time data for additional clinical trials [16].
The follow-up I-SPY 2 trial found that improved pathologic complete response
was observed in patients with high-risk HER2-negative stage II or stage III or triple
negative breast cancer on the combination regimens of the immunotherapy “dur-
valumab, the PARP inhibitor olaparib, and the taxane paclitaxel followed by doxo-
rubicin/cyclophosphamide as neoadjuvant therapy vs paclitaxel followed by
doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide alone. The study also found that immune-rich can-
cers showed higher pathologic complete response rates in all subtypes as well as in
the experimental and control arms” [17].
A 3-year follow-up study revealed that in the phase II I-SPY 2 trial, as reported
in JAMA Oncology, pathologic complete response or pCR had an association with
improved outcomes, including event-free survival and distant recurrence-free
8 1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century”
vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) (vantetanib) [16]. The pri-
mary endpoint of the study was the 8-week disease control rate (DCR) defined as
complete or partial response or stable disease via Response Evaluation Criteria in
Solid Tumors (RECIST)” [16].
“Patients enrolled in the umbrella trial underwent tumor biopsy and biomarker
analysis for 11 biomarkers: mutations in EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF; copy numbers
of EGFR and the Cyclin D1 gene (CCND1); and protein expression level of VEGF,
VEGF-2, RXRs α, β, and γ, and Cyclin D1. The results of the biomarker analysis
were used to classify patients into one of five groups: (1) EGFR mutation and/or
amplification; (2) KRAS or BRAF mutation; (3) VEGF and/or VEGF-2 over-
expression; (4) RXRs α, β, and γ, and/or Cyclin D1 overexpression and/or CCND1
amplification; or (5) negative for biomarker panel. During the first part of the study
patients were enrolled randomly to each of the four phase II studies except for
patients with prior erlotinib treatment, who were excluded from the erlotinib-
containing study arms. The results of this randomized portion of the study were
used to assess the association between a given marker group and disease con-
trol” [16].
Efficacy outcomes for these biomarker-driven trials have also been demonstrated
in one study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute led by inves-
tigators at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego:
Garralda et al. discuss new clinical trial designs in what has now come to be
known as the era of precision medicine. Traditional drug development studies with
safety and efficacy evaluations in phase I and phase II components, respectively,
and randomized phase III trials for determining treatment options are gradually fad-
ing away, being replaced by “basket and umbrella designs aimed at optimizing the
biomarker-co-development process.” Targeted agents are now matched with tumor
mutations, and these agents that are designed to interact with a specific target utiliz-
ing predictive biomarkers demonstrated high survival rates [20].
What are precision medicine-designed clinical trials? They are umbrella proto-
cols, wherein patient tumors are molecularly sub-stratified and matched to distin-
guishable anticancer agents, and basket trials, with patients that have differing
tumors but common molecular alterations and matched with the same treatment
(Fig. 1.1) [20].
I-SPY-1 has an adaptive trial design, while BATTLE is an umbrella trial. Other
umbrella trials include the ALCHEMIST (Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment
Marker Identification and Sequencing Trial) trial that are planned to screen nearly
10 1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century”
A A B B C C
B A A B C C B C B C A
Molecular Profiling
A A A B B B B C C C C
8000 patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer to identify patients with
alterations in EGFR or ALK genes. Patients with EGFR mutations would be enrolled
on a randomized trial evaluating erlotinib, and patients with ALK fusions would be
enrolled on a randomized trial evaluating crizotinib. The trial involves genomic anal-
ysis of primary tumor and at the time of relapse along with circulating tumor DNA.
The Lung-MAP (Lung Cancer Master Protocol) will screen approximately 1000
patients with advanced squamous lung cancer who have progressed after one line of
chemotherapy to identify actionable genomic alterations using a commercial tar-
geted gene panel (Foundation Medicine, Cambridge, MA) [21]. Subsequently,
patients would be randomized to one of several phase II/III trials evaluating match-
ing targeted therapies with a control arm of standard therapy. Patients without any
genomic alterations of interest will be enrolled in the arm testing immunother-
apy [21].
The epitome of basket trials may be represented by the Basket of Baskets study.
The Basket of Baskets (BoB) study is the spearhead Program of the Cancer Core
Europe (CCE) [20]. “Antitumor activity of matched therapies is evaluated in small
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 11
CCE patient populations which are molecularly determined using a novel study
design in an international multi-center (basket) approach. The study consists of two
parts: (a) I-Profiler that provides the molecular characterization of tumors from
patients with metastatic or recurrent solid tumors using a new profiling tool that
selects the most suitable treatment for these patients; and (b) I-Basket determines
multiple cohorts based on genomically selected patients” [22].
Therapies are tested in multiple disease settings which utilize companion diag-
nostics developed in concert with biomarkers, and even circulating tumor DNA for
selecting patients for tested drugs, the objective being to increase efficacy.
Basket of Baskets study seeks to accomplish ambitious goals: to integrate the
discovery of treatments through consolidation of the networks of companies and
academic sites through the use of clinical trials, and implement this innovative
clinical research strategy to develop precision treatments for molecular targets
while utilizing diagnostic tools to determine the clinical benefit of the molecular
targets, all the while engaging in merged biomedical, translational science, and
clinical research and attempting to bridge existing gaps between “scientific discov-
ery in basic and translational research and its application in the clinical research
setting.”
These precision treatments and the outcomes of these clinical trials, or the devel-
opment of them over time, have led to awareness among sectors of the community
that personalized medicine would have a definitive impact on biomedicine. As early
as January 21, 2015, President Barack Obama unveiled the Precision Medicine
Initiative in his State of the Union to members of Congress. “I’m launching a new
nationwide Precision Medicine Initiative to bring us closer to curing diseases like
cancer and diabetes,” he stated. According to the mission statement of the Precision
Medicine Initiative, precision medicine:
“Enable[s] a new era of medicine through research, technology, and policies that empower
patients, researchers, and providers to work together toward development of individualized
treatments. The future of precision medicine will enable health care providers to tailor treat-
ment and prevention strategies to people’s unique characteristics, including their genome
sequence, microbiome composition, health history, lifestyle, and diet [23] PMI. To get
there, we need to incorporate many different types of data, from metabolomics (the chemi-
cals in the body at a certain point in time), the microbiome (the collection of microorgan-
isms in or on the body), and data about the patient collected by health care providers and the
patients themselves. Success will require that health data is portable, that it can be easily
shared between providers, researchers, and most importantly, patients and research partici-
pants” [24].
The fact sheet on the Precision Medicine Initiative reads like a primer on person-
alized medicine:
Genomics/epigenomics/pharmacogenomics
Patient’s sampling
(DNA)
Transcriptomics
(RNA)
Omics
technologies Proteomics
(proteins)
Personalized medicine
Disease susceptibility, Prevention, diagnosis, Metabolomics
treatment (glycomics, lipidomics, amino acids,
nucleotides)
Clinical data
generation
Detailed information about
Stratification of subjects patient’s health status
Biomarker identification
Variations in drug responses
Common genetic markers
Fig. 1.2 The complete workflow of precision medicine Omics information is integrated into clini-
cal and data processes to stratify patients leading to personalized treatment, based on patient char-
acteristics. (Adapted from Qazi et al. [25])
Companion Diagnostic
(CDx) Biomarker
Therapy (mainly Rx) Therapy (mainly Rx)
Therapy (Rx + Dx = CDx)
Adverse No Benefit Patient benefit from more Each benefit from Individualized
Event Benefit groups treatment targeted patient treatment
Fig. 1.3 Precision medicine, the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, is contrasted
with reactive, trial-by-error traditional medicine, where the benefits of a medication are varied in a
patient population. In stratified medicine, therapies are targeted according to interindividual varia-
tion of patients. In personalized medicine, companion diagnostics, based on biomarker detection
in patients, are utilized with the targeted therapy to further individualize treatment. (Adapted from
Linguamatics.com)
14 1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century”
throughout the life span in the prediction of disease risk factor, diagnosis, and pro-
gression as well as the targeted therapeutic approaches. This also provides a better
understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in human health and
disease. The integrated -omics approach in clinical practice as well as the availabil-
ity of different biomarkers have greatly facilitated the stratification of patient based
on their responses to specific treatment, in order to decide the best-suitable thera-
peutic regimens” [25].
The advent of precision medicine heralds back to the days when the first targeted
treatment approaches were just appearing on the horizon. Xalkori, Gleevec,
Kalydeco, Herceptin, and Keytruda are part of a new wave of targeted therapies and
immunotherapies. Gleevec serves as a significant example of personalized medicine
because it was one of the first therapies designed to attack cancer by confronting the
molecular causes of cancer.
These targeted treatment approaches meant a new wave of medicine called per-
sonalized medicine. Personalized medicine means many things to many people,
such as patients, clinicians, and other healthcare workers. As described earlier, per-
sonalized medicine concerns utilizing the genetic variation in individuals to tailor
therapies according to the constitution of each individual’s DNA, for which one can
identify the molecular causes of disease and genetically diagnose patients by recog-
nizing biomarkers that reveal (predisposition to) disease.
While there are many definitions of personalized/precision medicine, “its most
marked qualities are connecting the genetic and lifestyle factors of an individual to
determine their disease predispositions and prevention, how they respond to treat-
ment and cures, and having the capability of predicting these aspects of patient care.
The application of pharmacogenomics prevents adverse drug reactions, or drug tox-
icity, since patients can now be categorized as extensive, poor, and intermediate, and
fast drug metabolizers through genetic testing of alleles. Patient response to therapy
can now be predicted through genetic profiling. PM can be encapsulated as “the
right treatment for the right person at the right time.” The upshot: stratification of
populations according to their genome leads to individualized therapies [24].
Another way healthcare can be viewed through the lens of personalized medicine is
as “a profound shift in thinking from genetics as a specialist interest addressing rare
disorders to the use of genetic information in all aspects of health care” [26].
Personalized medicine is characterized as both innovation and atavistic, as both
elegant and convoluted, and as both revolutionary and static. Controversial nonethe-
less, personalized medicine is both encouraged and supported by some, and recon-
sidered and questioned by others. Consider a Journal of the American Medical
Association article arguing for reason to ask cogent questions about the implemen-
tation of personalized medicine [27]. Donna Dickenson, a noted bioethicist, has
written a monograph arguing that investment in personalized medicine may come
about at the expense of public health [28]. The argument that personalized medi-
cine, or personalized medicine’s potential, can lead to safe and efficacious cures
that, in the long term, may lead to less cost for the healthcare system, as evidenced
by the example of Gleevec and other drugs, is under debate. However, less scrutiny
is given to the socioeconomic impact of personalized medicine, that is: What are the
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 15
Fig. 1.4 The diverse outcomes of personalized medicine. (Adapted from Newton, XCures, 2019)
*
However, through the 21st Century Cures Act passed by Congress in December 2016 and signed
by President Obama, the NIH is authorized to receive $4.8 billion over 10 years, and the FDA
receives $500 million. The $6.3 billion act was sponsored by Republican Representative Fred
Upton and was voted overwhelmingly by the Senate and House of Representatives. The bill also
designates $1.8 billion in funding for then Vice President Joseph Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initia-
tive for cancer research.
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 17
diagnostics which can simplify the drug discovery process, make clinical trials more
efficient and informative and be used to individualize the therapy of patients” [32].
According to Precision Medicine Industry 2019 Global Market research report
studies, “latest precision medicine economic impact and states that the global preci-
sion medicine market was valued at USD 48,554.1 million in 2018, and is estimated
to be valued at USD 84,590.21 million in 2024, witnessing a CAGR of 9.7%.”
According to the report, “the key factors propelling the growth of this market are
increasing online collaborative forums, increasing efforts to characterize genes, and
advancements in cancer biology. “The report states that” the functional character-
ization of identified genomic mutations, coupled with comprehensive clinical data
available in electronic health records, has the potential to provide compelling evi-
dence to implicate novel disease and/or drug-associated mutations in phenotypi-
cally well-characterized patients. There have been increasing efforts made by both
the government and private players to establish databases that contain information
of characterized genes of a large population. Some countries are establishing a
national repository of genetic information to accelerate the research in precision
medicine. Methods, such as meta-analysis, transcriptome data analysis, and RNA-
seq data analysis, are employed to characterize genes, generally” [33].
At the 2013 ASCO annual meeting, Janet Woodcock of the FDA described a num-
ber of challenges of precision medicine, including scientific, policy, logistical, and
value-related options for health care. Diagnosis is the basis of therapy and personal-
ized medicine, and reliable diagnostics are needed to relay understandable informa-
tion to clinicians. Next-generation sequencing, as will be described in Chap. 2, will
generate huge amounts of data that will need to be analyzed and stored. As the number
of individual biomarkers within a companion diagnostics assay increase, so do the
complexity, cost, time, and risk of development. How do we find a balance between
finding the “best” set of biomarkers and the practical requirements of companion
diagnostic development and commercialization? One option would be to choose the
best set of biomarkers that are compatible with the development timelines, or finding
the right patients to aim for the best coverage, even if this means slowing drug devel-
opment and missing a few patients. Gene panels are now being used by diagnostic
companies, but they may miss mutations that next-generation sequencing would find.
New technologies are enabling new paradigms in the way we think about disease
management and patient care. We seek to expedite ways to safely translate these
technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic use indiscriminately. The demand from
pharma for regulated companion diagnostic tests and the complexity of the develop-
ment process have resulted in the formation of many physician–pharma partner-
ships and partnership models. The central element of these collaborations is nearly
always the same—“develop and commercialize an FDA approved companion diag-
nostic alongside the drug … (without delay!).” Although the basic framework is
very clear, there are still many related questions which are as yet unresolved.
The history of personalized medicine goes back to December 1984, when geneticists
set out to sequence the entire human genome. In April 2003, this moonshot was achieved.
A number of trends have emerged since then, which are detailed in this book.
Personalized medicine by the numbers report FDA report 155 drug labels of
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 19
There have also been gains in cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as for other
diseases such as cardiovascular disease:
• Oncotype DX®: 21-gene RNA signature from breast tumor, 12-gene RNA sig-
nature from colon tumor
• MammaPrint®: 70-gene RNA signature from breast tumor (FDA approved)
• BluePRint™: 80-gene RNA signature that distinguishes basal, luminal ERBB2
subgroups of breast cancer
• Pathwork® Tissue of Origin test: 2000 RNAs to classify cancer of unknown
primary (FDA approved)
• AlloMap®: 11-gene RNA signature for rejection following cardiac transplant
(FDA approved)
• Corus™ CAD: 23-gene blood RNA signature for coronary artery disease (CAD)
obviates the need for coronary angiography
• Triage® Cardiac Panel: 5-blood-protein signature for assessment of chest pain
and shortness of breath
• NanoString nCounter system enables digital quantification of multiplexed RNA
from small amounts of blood and formalin-fixed tumors
and deletion alterations (indels), and copy number alterations (CNAs) in 324 genes
and select gene rearrangements, as well as genomic signatures including microsat-
ellite instability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (TMB) using DNA isolated
from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue specimens. The test is
intended as a companion diagnostic to identify patients who may benefit from
treatment with the targeted therapies.” Additionally, F1CDx is intended to provide
tumor mutation profiling to be used by clinicians in accordance with professional
guidelines in oncology for patients with solid malignant neoplasms. The test
requires biopsy and identifies biomarkers, also known as genomic profiling (as
opposed to genetic testing that looks at inherited traits in a person’s genes and
certain cancer-relevant mutations that a person could get from their parents).
Recommendations for targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or a clinical trial are
potential options [34].
Additionally, FoundationOne’s Liquid CDx received expanded approval for
“PIK3CA, BRCA, and ALK alterations, for determining if a patient is a potential
candidate for treatment with alpelisib, a kinase inhibitor, rucaparib, a PARP inhibi-
tor, for the treatment of adult patients with a deleterious BRCA mutation-(germline
and/or somatic)-associated epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal
cancer who have been treated with two or more chemotherapies or alectinib, a tyro-
sine kinase inhibitor.” Liquid CDx utilizes high-throughput sequencing for a panel
of 300 genes. Prior approvals for Liquid CDx included “detecting EGFR mutations
in lung cancer to select for EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and BRCA1/2
mutations in prostate cancer for selection of rucaparib.”
“Expanded approvals were extended for the detection of PI3KCA mutations in
HR-positive (PIK3CA is the most commonly mutated gene in HR-positive/HER2-
negative breast cancer; approximately 40% of patients with this subtype of breast
cancer have the mutation), HER-negative advanced breast cancer among men or
postmenopausal women for selection of second-line alpelisib in combination with
fulvestrant; detection of BRCA1/2 mutations in ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary
peritoneal cancer for selection of third-line rucaparib; and detection of ALK rear-
rangements in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer for selection of first-line alec-
tinib, indicated for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive mutated NSCLC as
detected by an FDA-approved test. ALK rearrangements are identified in approxi-
mately 5% of patients with NSCLC” [35].
The FoundationOne CDx test was also approved as a companion diagnostic for
identifying NTRK fusions in patients with “solid tumors eligible for treatment with
larotrectinib” approved by the FDA. Approval for larotrectinib was based on multi-
center clinical trials including LOXO-TRK-14001, SCOUT, and NAVIGATE and
was approved for adult and pediatric patients that have solid tumors that harbor the
NTRK gene fusion. Patients have metastatic cancer and poor outcomes predicted on
surgical resection, whose tumors regress and have no real treatment options. The
approval was based on retrospective studies utilizing the CDx assay on tissue sam-
ples available from the three clinical trials. According to the data “efficacy for
larotrectinib was shown to be maintained in patients with confirmed NTRK fusion-
positive results by FoundationOne CDx” [36].
1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century” 21
Another real advance in precision medicine came with the discovery and devel-
opment of adagrasib that targets the KRAS mutant, also known as the most undrug-
gable oncogene. In the phase I/II KRYSTAL-1 trial, the efficacy of adagrasib was
tested in patients with NSCLC, colorectal cancer, and other solid tumors such as
pancreatic, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. According to the report, “all patients
in the trial had advanced cancer and had previously received standard treatment for
their disease, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy.”
Adagrasib’s mechanism of action is to irreversibly and selectively bind to the
KRAS G12C mutation in its inactive state, thereby blocking cell-signaling path-
ways and leading to apoptosis of cancer cells. It has an incidence of 14% in lung
cancers, 3–4% in colorectal cancers, and 2% of pancreatic cancer. The discovery of
the drug is all the more encouraging because the KRAS G12C mutation has a poor
prognosis with lack of response to most treatments.
While there were serious adverse events, such as nausea, fatigue and diarrhea,
and vomiting, observed in the trial, the clinical outcomes demonstrated potential
hope for this population with few options [37].
As an example, classification tools for lymphoma genetic subtypes have also
emerged for precision diagnosis.
“[A] probabilistic classification tool for genetic subtypes of diffuse large B-cell
lymphoma (DLBCL)—may offer valuable insights into individual responses to tar-
geted therapy, according to a [recent] study published in Cancer Cell.”
“Development of precision medicine approaches for DLBCL has proven difficult
due to its genetic, phenotypic, and clinical heterogeneity, a recurring theme in preci-
sion medicine, particularly in oncology. Recent genomic research has revealed the
existence of multiple genetic subtypes of DLBCL.” Probability algorithms were
developed to determine genetic aberrations in DLBCL and classify them into seven
subtypes, for example, mutations, copy-number alternations, or fusions that predict
the tumor. The algorithm also called LymphGen identified subtypes already in exis-
tence (MCD, BN2, N1) and identified four new ones (A53, ST2, EZB-MYC-
positive, and EZB-MYC-negative) in an NCI patient cohort (n = 574). The
percentage of molecular classification into one of these subtypes was significantly
higher than previous tools, leading to the potential for targeted trials and treat-
ments [38].
There are other diagnostic tests in the pipeline for lupus, breast cancer, viral
infection, pulmonary fibrosis, and Alzheimer’s disease; however, there remain chal-
lenges in developing companion diagnostics for certain biomarkers. In 2005, the
genetic etiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was revealed through
genome-wide association studies: a variant complement factor H responsible for
AMD. Fast forward to today, and thousands of variants have been found for chronic
disease and complex traits, a stunning accomplishment and underpinning of dis-
ease, even if these results have been accompanied by a disappointing odds ratio of
less than 2.
Today, cancers such as lung adenocarcinoma are being diagnosed based on their
genetic alterations rather than histologic subtypes and treated with targeted thera-
pies based on their underlying somatic mutations, as evidenced by Xalkori.
22 1 “Introduction: Biomedical Innovation and Policy in the Twenty-First Century”
Mobile health and social networks are also undergoing a transformation, with
technology playing a large role. Cell phones now have the capacity to delivery
important health information. There now exist a shear proliferation of products that
can monitor phenotypes and different patterns of disease, such as Google’s glucose
sensors and contact lenses sensing interocular pressure, and KardiaMobile, a por-
table EKG monitor. Social media will indicate health trends, such as Google Flu
Trends and Twitter Data Models. Ginsburg predicts that this summation of data
streams will constitute a better and more precise representation of health and dis-
ease states through social network data, sensor data, and predictive modeling. He
added that community hospitals need to keep up with the technology of personal-
ized medicine and incorporate its advances.
The principles behind this “omics testing” has demonstrated the potential to
detect disease through a simple blood draw. PanSeer, a blood test developed by
scientists, can detect five prevalent cancers within a 4 year time span, “stomach,
esophageal, colorectal, lung and liver—in 88 percent of patients who were already
diagnosed, with 96 percent accuracy”—through determining the methylation status
of the patients’ genomes. PanSeer was deemed accurate in detecting cancer in
asymptomatic people later diagnosed with the disease. These results, however, need
to be validated, according to the study authors in Nature Communications.
Participants had their blood drawn, and the samples were stored for a period of
7 years. Samples from people with and without cancer who went on to develop the
disease underwent testing for methylation status, that is, CpG islands. The goal of
PanSeer, according to the study authors, is the detection of cancer in people without
symptoms but may be at higher risk for cancer due to family history or age, other
factors, allowing for early detection, which could ideally take place in annual check-
ups [39].
Another experimental multicenter blood test was shown to “detect cancer in
women who had no symptoms of the disease, and detected several different kinds of
cancer,” researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported, who developed the test.
The new tool, a multi-analyte blood test called DETECT-A from Thrive Earlier
Detection Corp., relies on DNA and protein biomarkers. Radiological scans were
performed on women who had positive results from the blood test to look for
tumors. Out of the 10,000 women, ranging in ages from 65 to 75 with no history of
cancer and high adherence to standard-of-care screening, “the test turned up 26
cancers that were later confirmed with PET/CT” as reported in Science. All partici-
pants were enrolled through the Geisinger Health System. Researchers paid particu-
lar attention to ovarian cancers, which lack methodology for early detection and
have a favorable prognosis. Central nervous system cancers were excluded as they
are less likely to be detected by a blood-based screening test. This test has remark-
able implications for cancers that are usually caught after metastasis due to their
subtle symptomology, and could serve as the standard screening for cancer in com-
parison to standard of care. The study authors add that this screening test should
supplement and not replace standard of care diagnostic approaches [40].
A 31-gene expression profile test was found to be of robust prognostic value in
detecting melanoma at risk for recurrence or distant metastasis in a systematic
Liquid Biopsy 23
review in comparison with the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging. 211
patients from a novel cohort were joined with patients from previously conducted
studies for a total of 1479 patients. 5-year prospective results determined a
recurrence-free survival of close to 91%. “Regarding the 31-gene expression pro-
file, the researchers reported that this test identified American Joint Committee on
Cancer stage I to III patient subsets who were likely to recur or experience distant
metastasis. Concurrent consideration of both the 31-gene expression profile and
sentinel lymph node biopsy results yielded improvements in both the sensitivity and
negative predictive value for distant metastasis-free survival.”
“The 31-gene expression profile test demonstrated consistent sensitivity in iden-
tifying patients with melanoma at risk for recurrence or distant metastasis, accord-
ing to a study.” The study authors concluded that “[the 31-gene expression profile
test] augments current risk stratification by reclassifying patients for heightened
surveillance who were previously designated as being at low risk” [41].
Liquid Biopsy
cancer cells because as tumors grow, macrophages infiltrate the tumor site to clear
products of cellular injury. However, the growth of the tumor outpaces the capacity
of macrophagic clearing, and ctDNA is passively released into the bloodstream.
Active release can also occur, which has been observed in vitro, and can account for
between 0.01% and 90% of all DNA present in plasma.
In addition to CTCs, therapeutic response for cancer can be monitored through
circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and allows for early diagnosis and intervention
through cancer screening. Localized, metastatic, and refractory forms can be identi-
fied early through liquid biopsy and used to guide treatment selection.
One of the most remarkable advances in the application of liquid biopsy is in the
diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC. NSCLCs have responded to recently developed
targeted therapies for actionable mutations and immunotherapies and have demon-
strated robust clinical outcomes, which make use of liquid biopsy platforms even
more relevant since they can identify minimal residual disease and longitudinally
monitor disease. According to Levy, recent prospective clinical trials demonstrated
the clinical utility of liquid biopsy in NSCLC and “suggested that simultaneously
adding a plasma ctDNA analysis to tissue biopsy in treatment-naive patients may
enhance the chances of detecting a relevant actionable mutation.
The initial clinical utility of cfDNA in advanced NSCLC involved the identifica-
tion of resistant T790M mutations in patients harboring EGFR mutations who expe-
rienced disease progression while being treated with a first- or second-generation
tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI),” who were treated with osimertinib and compared
with a chemotherapy-treated cohort.
Advanced cancer patients with ALK rearrangements, BRAFV600E mutations,
and MET exon ctDNA platforms participated in clinical trials comparing (NGS)-
based ctDNA, and tissue biopsy demonstrated that plasma-based testing could serve
as a source for accurate diagnosis. In the FLAURA trial, liquid biopsy showed the
potential for predicting cancer recurrence, identifying minimal residual disease, and
monitoring patients longitudinally. Patients were treated with tyrosine kinase inhib-
itors or immune checkpoint inhibitors. “The trial demonstrated the clinical superior-
ity of osimertinib versus first-generation TKIs in treatment-naïve patients harboring
EGFR mutations” [26]. ctDNA is also serving as an evaluative strategy of whether
to switch between TKIs and ICIs or adding ICIs to TKIs based on connections
between clearance of ctDNA and progression-free survival and improved outcomes
[36]. Based on these findings, clinical consensus may be that liquid biopsy testing
“should be considered in all patients with metastatic lung cancer for whom tissue
sampling may be infeasible or insufficient, or cost ineffective” [43].
However, “[s]ignificant technical, biological and clinical challenges remain: In
the technical realm, optimal methods for enrichment, recovery, amplification, and
analysis of rare cells or cell-free material are still being refined and analytically vali-
dated. Biologically, the significance of detected alterations is still being elucidated:
How do they compare with findings in tumor biopsies? How do they change over
time as tumors evolve in response to treatment? What bioinformatics approaches are
most suitable for addressing cellular heterogeneity and extrapolating from highly
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Kun Magdalena taaskin loi silmänsä auki olivat ritarit, villit sekä
keijukainen kadonneet ja hänen edessänsä seisoi kreivitär Piper.