Myriad Genetics Announces Five Research Collaborations to Study the Use of MRD Testing in Breast Cancer

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc., (NASDAQ: MYGN), a leader in genetic testing and precision medicine, today announced a series of ongoing research collaborations to study the use of molecular residual disease (MRD) testing in breast cancer using Myriad’s Precise^® MRD test.

Research collaborations include:

• A study to determine whether circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) level may predict magnitude of response to pembrolizumab and hormonal therapy in patients with HR-positive inflammatory breast cancer who did not achieve pathological complete response at the time of surgery, led by Bora Lim, MD, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
• A study to evaluate whether ctDNA levels correlate with nodal involvement in patients with newly diagnosed HR-positive breast cancer and, if so, how the correspondence may be used to aid in surgical decision making, led by Anna Weiss, MD, at The University of Rochester Medical Center.
• The multicenter, prospective MONITOR-breast study to determine the association of ctDNA levels to both neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer across all subtypes. The study will involve 650 patients and will assess the prognostic potential of ctDNA and the lead time of detecting recurrence earlier ahead of standard-of-care imaging.
• The multicenter, prospective study JBCRG-C11 (CREA) to evaluate the maintenance of complete response with trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer patients and whether ctDNA can be used to optimally guide therapy, led by Yoichi Naito, MD, of the National Cancer Center Hospital East in Japan.
• A study in partnership with Aptitude Health to assess ctDNA levels in high-risk patients at diagnosis, during neoadjuvant treatment, and following surgery in community oncology settings.

“Relative to many other cancer types that typically have high levels of ctDNA in the blood, breast cancer often has very low levels of ctDNA, which makes MRD testing a challenge,” said Dale Muzzey, chief scientific officer, Myriad Genetics. “Myriad’s Precise MRD test is well suited to overcome this challenge because it tracks up to 1,000 tumor-specific variants identified via whole-genome sequencing. The research efforts we’re undertaking with leading organizations and investigators are an important step in advancing the clinical application of next-generation MRD testing to the treatment and monitoring of breast cancer.”

Myriad continues to develop its Precise MRD test to meet the needs of cancer patients, academic partners, and biopharma companies. Myriad has previously announced other MRD collaborations, including a metastatic breast cancer study with researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a prospective pan-cancer study, including breast cancer, led by researchers at the National Cancer Center Hospital East in Japan.

About Myriad’s Precise MRD Test
Myriad’s Precise MRD test is a tumor-informed, whole genome sequencing (WGS) based test that monitors hundreds to thousands of tumor-specific variants, which enables exceptional sensitivity and quantification of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood of patients with cancer. The Precise MRD test can be used to monitor ctDNA levels throughout a cancer patient’s clinical care, starting immediately after diagnosis and continuing through treatment and surveillance. The Precise MRD test is available for use in research studies pursued jointly by Myriad and academic or pharmaceutical investigators.

About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics is a leading genetic testing and precision medicine company dedicated to advancing health and well-being for all. Myriad develops and offers genetic tests that help assess the risk of developing disease or disease progression and guide treatment decisions across medical specialties where genetic insights can significantly improve patient care and lower healthcare costs. For more information, visit www.myriad.com.

Myriad Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including that the company's research collaborations, such as a study that will involve 650 patients and will assess the prognostic potential of ctDNA and the lead time of detecting recurrence ahead of standard-of-care imaging, represent an important step in advancing the clinical application of next-generation MRD testing to the treatment and monitoring of breast cancer and that the company’s Precise MRD test is well suited to overcome some of the challenges faced by MRD testing because it tracks up to 1,000 tumor-specific variants identified via whole-genome sequencing. These “forward-looking statements” are management’s expectations of future events as of the date hereof and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, conditions, and events to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated. Such factors include those risks described in the company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 28, 2024, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in the company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. Myriad is not under any obligation, and it expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.

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