Caris Life Sciences' ADAPT Biotargeting System Identifies a Key Cell Surface Regulator of MYC as the Molecular Target of a Cytotoxic Aptamer

Study Data Presented at AACR 2017 Annual Meeting Demonstrates the Ability of ADAPT Biotargeting System to Identify Molecular Targets for Anti-cancer Aptamers

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Caris Life Sciences

Apr 03, 2017, 07:15 ET

IRVING, Texas, April 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences^®, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced results of a study that demonstrate the ability of the company's ADAPT Biotargeting System^™ to identify the molecular target, a cell surface regulator of MYC, for a cytotoxic aptamer that may have potential utility as an anti-cancer therapeutic. The study is presented today in a poster session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2017 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The aptamer, C10.36, has been shown in earlier studies to selectively bind to the surface of several non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) cell lines and cause cell death, suggesting a possible therapeutic approach. However, the targets of the aptamer were previously unknown. The ADAPT Biotargeting System uses a broad library of synthetically-manufactured molecules (aptamers) that bind to a wide range of biological targets and characterize complex biological systems in their native state, enabling them to profile biological samples at a systems-wide scale. Using the ADAPT Biotargeting System, the study identified a series of ribonucleoprotein components that co-purified with C10.36. Upon further analysis, the investigators determined that C10.36 directly and specifically bound to one of those components, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnRNP U).

hnRNP U has been shown to increase MYC-mediated transcriptional activation. MYC is a transcription factor that regulates a number of cellular processes including proliferation and programmed cell death. Dysregulated expression of MYC has been shown to play a key role in several cancers, including NHL. Cytotoxicity mediated by C10.36 may result from its ability to bind to hnRNP U and disrupt its ability to promote the oncogenic potential of MYC in NHL cells.

"Our ADAPT Biotargeting System has most commonly been used as a tool to identify biomarkers for drug development, diagnostics and theranostics," said David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences. "This study demonstrates the broad flexibility of the platform through the demonstration of an additional application: the identification of the target of a potential therapeutic agent, which itself is an aptamer."

Abstract 2469 / Poster 26: The B-cell Lymphoma Specific Aptamer 10.36 Binds a Ribonucleoprotein Complex on the Cell Surface of Cancer Cells

Summary: A specific DNA aptamer was identified as a potential targeted therapy to treat MYC expressing malignancies.

Date:	April 3, 2017
Time:	1:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT
Location:	Section 18

About Caris Life Sciences^®Caris Life Sciences^® is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation. The company's ADAPT Biotargeting System^™ is a revolutionary and unbiased profiling platform currently being utilized for drug target identification, therapeutic discovery and development, fixed tissue-based companion diagnostics, blood-based cancer screening and biomarker identification. The ADAPT Biotargeting System is able to simultaneously measure millions of molecular interactions within complex biological systems in their natural state(s). Caris Molecular Intelligence^®, the company's Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Plus (CGP+) molecular testing service and the world's leading immunotherapy diagnostic provider, assesses DNA, RNA and Proteins, including microsatellite instability (MSI), total mutational load (TML) and PD-L1, to reveal the molecular drivers of cancer and enable the delivery of personalized medicine. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com.

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