Abstract

Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA) Analysis in Cancers: The New Frontier in Biomarker Analysis

Rajiv Raja, Director-Translational Pharmacogenomics , MedImmune/AstraZeneca

Oncogenic mutations play an important role in patient responses to cancer therapy. Analyzing cell-free DNA (cfDNA) derived from patients can provide a robust, non-invasive method for identifying such mutations. Analysis of cfDNA collected at baseline for patients entering a clinical trial can provide an up-to-date snap-shot of the mutational landscape and sample tumor heterogeneity. Further, changes in variant allele frequencies (VAF) in cfDNA collected during various time-points during treatment can provide valuable information about patient’s response to therapy, provide an overall measure of tumor burden and the emergence of resistance. The current landscape of technologies used for cfDNA analysis in oncology will be presented. Results from the evaluation of changes in variant allele frequencies in response to therapy will be discussed.