ctDNA and PET Tumor Burden Monitoring for CAR T Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cancer diagnosis and treatment methods are invasive, painful, and lack effective noninvasive options for monitoring disease progression and assessing treatment efficacy.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the isolation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from a tissue sample, imaging with a modality like PET scan, and measuring metabolic tumor volume (MTV) to diagnose and treat cancer, with CAR T cell therapy as a potential treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If tumor biopsy is used for cancer diagnosis and monitoring, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but patient physical pain and emotional distress increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the diagnostic function from invasive tissue biopsy procedures and relocates it to noninvasive liquid biopsy methods. By isolating and analyzing ctDNA from blood plasma, the patent achieves cancer diagnosis and monitoring without requiring surgical tissue extraction, thereby eliminating physical pain and emotional distress associated with biopsies while maintaining diagnostic accuracy through molecular analysis of tumor-derived DNA
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical invasive procedure of tissue biopsy with a noninvasive blood draw and molecular analysis system. Instead of mechanically extracting tissue samples through needles and surgical instruments, the system uses blood collection followed by ctDNA isolation and sequencing, substituting mechanical invasion with biochemical analysis that provides equivalent diagnostic information without physical harm
2Measurement precision
If invasive tumor biopsy is used to determine tumor burden, then measurement accuracy is improved, but procedure complexity and patient suffering increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tumor burden measurement capability from complex invasive biopsy procedures and relocates it to a simplified liquid biopsy approach. By measuring ctDNA concentration and fragmentation patterns in blood plasma, the system determines tumor burden without requiring complex surgical procedures, tissue processing, and pathological examination, thereby reducing procedure complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical and pathological processes of tissue biopsy with a streamlined molecular analysis system. Instead of tissue extraction, processing, sectioning, staining, and microscopic examination, the system uses blood collection, ctDNA isolation, and quantitative analysis, substituting a complex multi-step mechanical process with a simpler biochemical workflow that achieves equivalent measurement accuracy
3Reliability
If traditional cancer monitoring methods are used, then disease progression can be detected, but treatment efficacy assessment is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism by continuously monitoring ctDNA levels and characteristics in blood plasma over time. This longitudinal tracking provides real-time feedback on both disease progression and treatment efficacy, allowing clinicians to assess whether therapeutic interventions are working by observing changes in ctDNA concentration and fragmentation patterns, thereby recovering treatment efficacy information that was previously lost with traditional monitoring methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal monitoring system that simultaneously performs multiple functions: detecting disease progression, assessing treatment efficacy, and tracking tumor burden. By analyzing ctDNA characteristics comprehensively, the single liquid biopsy assay replaces multiple separate evaluation methods, providing integrated information about both disease status and treatment response without requiring separate diagnostic procedures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides noninvasive, efficient, and accurate diagnosis and monitoring of cancer, as well as assessment of CAR T cell therapy efficacy by correlating ctDNA, MTV, and inflammation levels.
Implementation Method 1
capturing an image from the subject with an imaging modality, measuring metabolic tumor volume (MTV) from the image, wherein the imaging modality comprises a positron emission tomography (PET) scan
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates circulating tumor DNA and methods of treating, preventing, and diagnosing cancer. The present disclosure also provides methods of assessing the efficacy of a therapy after cancer diagnosis.