Study results demonstrate the utility of the Company's Next-Generation cf-mRNA Liquid Biopsy Technology Platform for the characterization of PSC
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Stethoscope, Inc., a Precision Medicine biotechnology company, announces presentation of its human proof-of-concept study applying its proprietary cf-mRNA Liquid Biopsy Technology Platform for the study of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting – The Liver Meeting 2021. This study demonstrates the utility of the Company's Technology Platform to identify dysregulated gene clusters in PSC patients and develop classifiers using liver-enriched cf-mRNA transcripts for PSC diagnosis.
Naga Chalasani, M.D., who is the lead author of this study and Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Interim Chair in the Department of Medicine at Indiana University in the USA, commented that, "The identified, usually inaccessible, pathological gene clusters may inform response to candidate medicines in present clinical trials, as well as suggest future therapeutic targets; and the liver-enriched classifier may have utility for non-invasive molecular stratification of PSC patients for pharmacotherapy safety and response studies." And Dr. Chalasani added, "New molecular tools to timely diagnose PSC in patients with ulcerative colitis is a critical unmet need."
The study is titled "Noninvasive molecular characterization of primary sclerosing cholangitis using cell-free messenger RNA sequencing," and it will be presented during The Liver Meeting 2021 session "PBC/PSC and Other Cholestatic Diseases."
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a rare chronic disease of the bile ducts with an unknown cause and unpredictable course that results in scars and inflammation of the biliary system. Patients with PSC may develop severe liver problems including cirrhosis, cancer and the need for a liver transplant. Specifically, PSC patients are at increased risk for cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer. With limited therapeutic options and a lack of proven monitoring strategies, there is a significant clinical unmet need for PSC patients.
Guillermo Elias, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Molecular Stethoscope stated, "We are excited to share the positive results of this PSC study with the medical and scientific communities. Together with our previously completed and published human proof-of-concept studies in NAFLD/NASH, Alzheimer's Disease and Cancer (Transplant Oncology), this PSC study further de-risks our Technology Platform. We are now focused on building our clinical-grade pipeline to accelerate the development of products and solutions for clinical practice and BioPharma R&D."
More information about the results of this study is available in the AASLD Liver Meeting 2021 website:
Publication Number: 1283. "Noninvasive molecular characterization of primary sclerosing cholangitis using cell-free messenger RNA sequencing."
https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hep.32188
About Molecular Stethoscope
Molecular Stethoscope is a Precision Medicine company based in Silicon Valley, California, pioneering the Next-Generation cf-mRNA Liquid Biopsy Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Technology Platform. The Company is focused on discovering, developing and commercializing non-invasive and dynamic products for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment-response monitoring of chronic diseases starting with the liver (NAFLD/NASH) and the central nervous system (Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis). Molecular Stethoscope was co-founded by Dr. Stephen Quake, Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, and co-President of the Chan Zuckerberg BioHub, and Dr. Eric Topol, Director and Founder, Scripps Research Translational Institute; Chair of Innovative Medicine, Scripps. The Company's Technology Platform harnesses with unprecedented precision the dynamic biological processes underlying chronic diseases in biopsy-accessible (e.g. Liver) and biopsy-inaccessible (e.g., Brain) organ systems, thus enabling non-invasive, longitudinal and serial diagnosis and monitoring of patient health - while avoiding costly and invasive biopsies which can have adverse effects. The Company's proprietary and novel Technology Platform integrates cell-free mRNA (cf-mRNA) with RNA-Seq, clinical information, and purpose-built bioinformatics and machine learning/artificial intelligence to generate clinically actionable, dynamic information to fundamentally change how healthcare is delivered at scale.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to statements about the Company's expectations regarding its proprietary Technology Platform. Forward looking statements are subject to uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.
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