TUMOR-DERIVED EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES FOR DIAGNOSIS OF EARLY-STAGE OVARIAN CANCER

Malignant ovarian cancer remains a significant health challenge in the U.S., ranking as the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women. In 2024, approximately 19,680 new cases and 12,740 deaths are expected. The high mortality rate is largely due to late-stage diagnoses, as early symptoms are subtle. Survival rates vary drastically depending on the stage at diagnosis, with a five-year survival rate of 91.9% early-stage cases and only 31.4% for late-stage cancer. Current diagnostic tools, including CA125 tests and ultrasounds, lack the specificity to reliably detect early-stage ovarian cancer and often result in false positives, leading to unnecessary surgeries.FYR Diagnostics is developing a novel liquid biopsy approach to improve early detection using tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TDEVs). Using our proprietary, Selective Protein Affinity Reagent Chemistries (SPARCs) technology to isolate TDEVs, we will use multi-omics to identify new specific biomarkers across different tumor stages. This approach promises to address the significant signal-to-noise limitations of existing liquid biopsies methods and technologies. Our goal is to develop new minimally invasive targeted tests that detect the presence of cancer much sooner than current tests. This innovation represents a step forward in ovarian cancer diagnostics and could have broader applications in oncology.