SAN DIEGO—Trovagene Inc. has unveiled a collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on the detection of transrenal KRAS mutations in the urine of patients with pancreatic cancer. No financial details were disclosed. Recent estimates highlight KRAS mutations as being present in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers. Trovagene recently completed the development of digital PCR assays for detecting most prevalent KRAS mutations, including those that account for roughly 95 percent of the KRAS mutations found in pancreatic adenocarcinomas.  

 

“The reliable detection and quantification of both KRAS mutations and wild-type molecules from urine could eventually lead to a sensitive method for staging tumors before treatment and detecting minimal residual disease after treatment,” Dr. Charlie Rodi, chief technology officer at Trovagene, said in a press release.