Original from: 360dx

Mdxhealth and the University of Oxford will test whether the firm's Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) assay can predict disease progression and treatment outcomes in prostate cancer patients, the company said Tuesday.

Under the collaboration, the partners will incorporate the GPS assay into the Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) trial, an ongoing, two-decade long study following more than 1,500 individuals with localized prostate cancer. The test analyzes a 17-gene signature within patients' tumor biopsies and assigns a score between 0 and 100, with higher values representing a greater risk of metastasis and death. According to the company, patients with lower scores might be suited for active surveillance, whereas patients with higher scores may benefit from more intensive treatment. 

Irvine, California-based Mdxhealth first partnered with Oxford in 2023 to conduct GPS testing on already collected patient samples from the Prostate Mechanisms of Progression and Treatment (ProMPT) cohort of the ProtecT trial. Now, researchers will test the assay in a randomized, prospective cohort undergoing active surveillance. 

The company said the trial data could make GPS the first genomic classifier validated in a randomized study for this patient population. "By incorporating the GPS test, we are building on decades of outcomes data with genomic insights that could redefine how physicians evaluate risk and personalize care for patients worldwide," said Freddie Hamdy, a urological surgeon at Oxford and principal investigator of the study.

Mdxhealth acquired the GPS test, formerly called Oncotype DX GPS, from Exact Sciences in a 2022 deal worth up to $100 million.

Source: Mdxhealth, University of Oxford to Use Genomic Risk Testing in Prostate Cancer Surveillance Trial