On July 11, 2023 Hummingbird Diagnostics GmbH, a leader in reading blood-based small RNAs for early disease detection and characterization, reported a publication in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology following a poster presentation at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2023 Annual Meeting on the miLung small RNA blood test for early-stage lung cancer detection (Press release, Hummingbird Diagnostics, JUL 11, 2023, View Source [SID1234633185]).

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The results of the study provide clear evidence for the viability of a small RNA-based blood test as an alternative to low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, which could be deployed in a primary care setting for early-stage lung cancer detection. Screening was performed on stabilized whole blood samples from 1,384 individuals meeting National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) lung cancer eligibility criteria (age 55-74, pack-years ≥30) by leveraging ultra-deep small RNA sequencing. A newly discovered 18-small RNA signature (miLung) was validated as a molecular biomarker for lung cancer in an independent cohort of 441 individuals1. The miLung small RNA blood test is noninvasive and identifies specific small RNAs, molecular biomarkers associated with lung cancer in whole blood samples that can be drawn at the point of care.

"We have developed a sensitive yet robust analysis using small RNA tumor markers to detect early-stage lung cancer," remarked Bruno Steinkraus, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Hummingbird Diagnostics. "Our approach integrates tumor-derived and immune system-derived small RNAs into unbiased machine learning to inform early-stage lung cancer detection."

The multicenter study was performed in collaboration with Dr. Amita Sharma at Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor Alexander Bankier at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Professor Martin Reck at LungenClinic Grosshansdorf, Professor Clemens Aigner of University Medicine Essen and Professor Klaus Rabe of LungenClinic Grosshansdorf amongst others.

"Early cancer detection remains the most effective strategy to reduce mortality associated with lung cancer," commented Jochen Kohlhaas, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hummingbird Diagnostics. "We envision the miLung test as a non-invasive alternative to LDCT scans for use in primary care settings to improve participation in screening, and potentially reduce gender- and race-based disparities in access to lung cancer screening."

The ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) poster presentation titled "Early detection of lung cancer using small RNAs" can be found here.

The article can be found on the Journal of Thoracic Oncology’s website here.

1 Sikosek T and Horos R et al. Early Detection of Lung Cancer using small RNAs. Journal of Thoracic Oncology (2023), doi: View Source