Guardant Health presented results of largest study on ctDNA in colon cancer
Guardant Health (GH) presented results of the largest study to date evaluating circulating tumor DNA, ctDNA, in colon cancer prior to chemotherapy, demonstrating the ability of the Guardant Reveal test to stratify the risk of disease recurrence and overall survival, and thus inform treatment decisions after surgery. Data from the phase III trial of FOLFOX-based adjuvant chemotherapy involving over 2,000 patients with stage III colon cancer with median follow-up of 6.1 years were presented at the 2025 American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Results demonstrated that circulating tumor DNA detected in the bloodstream after cancer surgery and prior to the start of adjuvant therapy, using the Guardant Reveal test, is a strong predictor of the risk of disease recurrence and poorer survival, and suggest the potential for ctDNA testing to improve decision-making at a critical time point for post-operative chemotherapy. Specifically: Among patients with post-surgical ctDNA detected, 62.6% had the cancer return within 3 years, despite having had adjuvant chemotherapy, while only 15.4% of patients with undetectable ctDNA recurred in the same period. The level of ctDNA, or tumor fraction, showed promise in identifying individuals who are less likely to clear residual disease with adjuvant treatment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
32 minutes ago
- Business Upturn
Agenus and Zydus Lifesciences Enter $141M Strategic Collaboration to Advance BOT/BAL, Expand Zydus' Biologics Manufacturing in the US
LEXINGTON, Mass., United States: $75M upfront payment to Agenus for the transfer of manufacturing assets $50M of contingent payments to Agenus Exclusive license for BOT/BAL in India and Sri Lanka $16M equity investment at $7.50 per share Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, today announced it has signed definitive partnership agreements with Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. (NSE: ZYDUSLIFE), including its subsidiaries/affiliates, hereafter referred to as 'Zydus,' designed to accelerate clinical development, scale global manufacturing, and expand patient access to botensilimab and balstilimab (BOT/BAL). The strategic collaboration includes an exchange of Agenus' state-of-the-art biologics CMC facilities in Emeryville, CA and Berkeley, CA for upfront consideration of $75M; Agenus to receive up to an additional $50M in contingent payments triggered by BOT/BAL production orders. Zydus, an India-based multinational pharmaceutical company with over 27,000 employees and operations in 55 countries, will launch a BioCDMO business using the facilities as their flagship U.S. sites to provide biologics contract manufacturing services to biopharmaceutical companies globally. Agenus will become Zydus' first BioCDMO customer through an exclusive manufacturing agreement for BOT/BAL to ensure the combination regimen's BLA and launch readiness needs. This collaboration enables Agenus to unlock the value of its manufacturing assets and secure strategic capital to drive BOT/BAL toward global regulatory engagement and commercialization. Agenus will also grant Zydus an exclusive license to develop and commercialize BOT and BAL in India and Sri Lanka, capitalizing on Zydus' established local market presence and infrastructure. Zydus will pay Agenus a 5 percent royalty on net sales in those countries. In a demonstration of mutual commitment, Zydus will also make a strategic equity investment in Agenus by purchasing approximately 2.1 million shares of common stock at $7.50 per share, totaling approximately $16 million in gross proceeds. Agenus intends to apply the net proceeds from the sale of the purchased shares for working capital and general corporate purposes, and will accelerate ongoing clinical development, registration and potential commercialization of BOT/BAL. By uniting Agenus' pioneering research and development capabilities with Zydus' worldwide manufacturing, commercialization and operational strength, this partnership sets the stage for a new era in cancer immunotherapy in India and beyond. 'With a trade agreement between the United States and India seemingly imminent, there is a renewed sense of confidence by trading partners in both countries in the future of Indian-American relations,' said Dr. Garo Armen, CEO of Agenus. 'There is also a growing recognition by both countries of the need for the United States to ensure that biopharma supply chains are secure. We are working with Zydus to accelerate future clinical trials for BOT/BAL and eventually its global footprint in oncology therapeutics. This agreement is an expression of confidence in the future of Agenus and in the regulatory environment of the United States. The administration has created an environment that has brought these two trading partners together. The United States is the second largest trading partner with India. For these reasons and the strong collaborative spirit we feel with our new partners at Zydus, we decided to enter into this partnership now.' 'We are thrilled to be partnering with Agenus to advance BOT/BAL, which has the potential to benefit thousands of patients in our core markets of India and Sri Lanka annually and millions of solid tumor patients globally. We plan to run clinical trials testing BOT/BAL in both early-stage and late-stage disease, along with expansion beyond colorectal cancer to other major disease settings like triple negative breast cancer,' said Dr. Sharvil Patel, Managing Director at Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and satisfactory due diligence. The parties aim to complete closing agreements within 60 days. Conference Call and Webcast Date/Time: Tuesday, June 3rd; 4:30 p.m. ET To access dial-in numbers, please register at: . Conference ID: 12788 Advisors As part of this effort, Agenus was advised by Biotech Value Advisors (BVA), a strategic advisory firm, which provided guidance on transaction structure, partner selection and negotiations. About Agenus Agenus is a leading immuno-oncology company targeting cancer with a comprehensive pipeline of immunological agents. The company was founded in 1994 with a mission to expand patient populations benefiting from cancer immunotherapy through combination approaches, using a broad repertoire of antibody therapeutics, adoptive cell therapies (through MiNK Therapeutics) and adjuvants (through SaponiQx). Agenus has robust end-to-end development capabilities, across commercial and clinical cGMP manufacturing facilities, research and discovery, and a global clinical operations footprint. Agenus is headquartered in Lexington, MA. For more information, visit or @agenus_bio. Information that may be important to investors will be routinely posted on our website and social media channels. About Zydus Lifesciences Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. with an overarching purpose of empowering people with freedom to live healthier and more fulfilled lives, is an innovative, global lifesciences company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group employs over 27,000 people worldwide, including 1,400 scientists engaged in R&D, and is driven by its mission to unlock new possibilities in lifesciences through quality healthcare solutions that impact lives. The group aspires to transform lives through path-breaking discoveries. For more details visit About Botensilimab (BOT) Botensilimab (BOT) is a human Fc enhanced CTLA-4 blocking antibody designed to boost both innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. Its novel design leverages mechanisms of action to extend immunotherapy benefits to 'cold' tumors which generally respond poorly to standard of care or are refractory to conventional PD-1/CTLA-4 therapies and investigational therapies. Botensilimab augments immune responses across a wide range of tumor types by priming and activating T cells, downregulating intratumoral regulatory T cells, activating myeloid cells and inducing long-term memory responses. Approximately 1,200 patients have been treated with botensilimab and/or balstilimab in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. Botensilimab alone, or in combination with Agenus' investigational PD-1 antibody, balstilimab, has shown clinical responses across nine metastatic, late-line cancers. For more information about botensilimab trials, visit . About Balstilimab (BAL) Balstilimab is a novel, fully human monoclonal immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) designed to block PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) from interacting with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. It has been evaluated in >900 patients to date and has demonstrated clinical activity and a favorable tolerability profile in several tumor types. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding its botensilimab and balstilimab programs, expected regulatory timelines and filings, and any other statements containing the words 'may,' 'believes,' 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'hopes,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'forecasts,' 'estimates,' 'will,' 'establish,' 'potential,' 'superiority,' 'best in class,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the factors described under the Risk Factors section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2024, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Agenus cautions investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Agenus undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements, other than to the extent required by law. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Business Insider
42 minutes ago
- Business Insider
My father's death showed me how hard it is for men to open up. I started a men's walking group to help us connect.
Jonathan Jacobs, 35, moved to Los Angeles from New York during the pandemic. He wanted more local friends in the sprawling city. He started a men's walking group to build his community and help other men meet each other. This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Jonathan Jacobs, a marketer, writer, and community organizer who founded the LA chapter of Men Walking, Men Talking. The following has been edited for length and clarity. I moved from New York City to Los Angeles in the middle of the pandemic — not exactly the best time to make friends. It took me a year to make lasting connections with people, and four years to slowly build my social circle through my running club, professional industry, and friends of friends. Still, I wanted a greater sense of local community, especially with other men. In the summer of 2020, right before I moved to LA, my father passed away. On his deathbed, I learned he was an alcoholic — a secret he'd kept from me for 31 years. Because he was in a coma for two weeks before he died, I was never able to confront him about it. The experience made me realize how few, if any, intimate relationships he must have had. It also made me passionate about creating spaces where men could be more open with each other. Through my work, I met Mark Greene, who founded Men Walking, Men Talking, an NYC-based men's walking group. He suggested I lead my own. So, in 2025, I started the LA chapter. Craving connection In January, I posted a short description on an LA-based Reddit page describing how I envisioned the group. The rules were simple: what was said in the group would be private, and we wouldn't talk about politics or religion so as not to isolate anyone. I added my email. About 60 men said they were interested. Seven of usshowed up that first time. It was a bit awkward at first. I grappled with the idea of icebreakers to get through that initial silence. But I wanted men to explore why it was hard to be the first one to speak up. Slowly, we started to chat, letting our craving for connection lead the way. As we've done more of our bi-monthly Sunday walks, the group has grown. Over 100 men have reached out to me, with up to 17 showing up at one time. Due to the demand, we've also started experimenting with "pop-up walks" in the middle of the week. We're a mix of married and divorced men, single fathers and childfree husbands, in our 20s through our 60s. Half of the group is made up of men who keep coming back. Men need low-stakes ways to hang out Research shows that men prefer activities where they're side-by-side rather than facing each other. At the same time, some activities can make it harder to have meaningful conversations because the focus is on playing a game or watching a movie. Walking invited men to talk to each other, while also making the gathering as low-stakes and accessible as possible. This is especially crucial in LA: you can spend the night sitting in traffic and searching for parking, all for a hangout they're not sure will be fun. For men who are already on the fence about showing up, a long commute pretty much guarantees they won't come. Men who come to the walks repeatedly tell me that the low barrier to entry — no need to sign up or pay a fee to join — makes it easier for them to commit. For men who have trouble putting themselves out there to begin with, it gives them peace of mind that they don't have to stay the whole time or show up every week to feel like part of the group. One man recently showed up and was walking by himself. I came over to him and started breaking him open — he had some bad friendship experiences in the past and was trepidatious about making new connections. I'm glad he could come to the walk, even if it may have made him nervous at first. Leaning on each other in small, important ways Throughout my dad's life, really negative manifestations of masculinity, like not asking for help, affected our relationship. What's nice about the group is how quickly such a simple activity can morph into a meaningful bond, especially amid so many stories of male loneliness in the US. I still remember our second walk ever, right after my girlfriend had a health scare. Opening up to other men wasn't just cathartic; I also learned some had gone through similar situations. I've seen men break off after our hour-long walk to continue walking or to grab a beer somewhere. Sometimes, if only one other man shows up that day, he and I will just walk together, two strangers opening up to each other. I still talk to men who are interested but wary about attending their first walk; they're not sure if they'd fit in. More than anything, I wish every man who feels that way would know he's not alone. There's a group who'd love to talk to him. He just has to show up.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kylie Jenner Is Being Hailed As The Ultimate Girl's Girl For Her Candid Response To A TikToker Who Asked For The Details On Her Boob Job
On Monday, a UK-based creator called Rachel Leary posted a TikTok begging Kylie Jenner to share the exact details of her boob job. 'It's the most perfect, natural-looking boob job ever,' she said, questioning whether Kylie may have had implants or a 'fat transfer.' 'I don't actually expect you to see this TikTok. I don't expect you to share who did the work, I understand… But in terms of what it is that you actually had done…Was it a teardrop implant? Or a high-profile implant? Under the muscle? Over the muscle? Can you just share what it is that you had?' The video was super polite and sweet. Rachel said she'd researched online to see if the answer was already available, but decided it was time to go straight to the source. 'If you could just share, that would be great,' she concluded. Kylie has been open in the past about having had a breast augmentation at 19 years old, saying on a 2023 episode of The Kardashians that she wished she'd never gotten it done. 'I would recommend anyone thinking about it to wait until after children,' the mom of two said. Despite Kylie's past openness, I personally thought the prospect of her responding to Rachel's TikTok was pretty low. However, it seems I was proven wrong, as not even 24 hours after the video went live, the real KJ has arrived with all the answers. In the comments section, Kylie listed off the exact details of her procedure, from the size of the implant she asked for to the name of the doctor who performed the surgery. Related: I'm Absolutely Losing It Over Miley Cyrus's Theory About "Disney Gays" And "Nickelodeon Gays" That Just Destroyed My Entire Childhood It's probably worth noting that everyone's bodies are very different; therefore, what works for Kylie may not necessarily work for everyone. Needless to say, the girlies of TikTok are certainly thrilled, if not a little surprised, to have the full breakdown from Kylie herself, with many calling it the ultimate girl's girl move. Related: Let's Talk About How Creepy The Sydney Sweeney Bikini Pics Are Rachel was among those celebrating the response, replying: "this is why she's for the girls 🩷 love u thank u." I'm loving this new Kylie era. She's truly one of the girls. More on this Kylie Jenner Just Casually Confirmed The Years-Long Speculation That She Had A Secret Boob Job As A TeenagerStephanie Soteriou · July 27, 2023 Kylie Jenner Explained The 'Lines' On Her Cheeks After 'Nasty' Claims That She Messed Up Her Face With Excessive FillersEllen Durney · June 20, 2024 Kylie Jenner Just Subtly Poked Fun At Her Sex Life With Timothée Chalamet, And It Might Be One Of The Realest Things She's Ever DoneEllen Durney · May 30, 2025 Also in Celebrity: 14 Celebrities Who Have So Many Kids, They're Basically Running Their Own Daycare, And 11 Who Said "Hmm, Hard Pass" Also in Celebrity: 28 Celebs Who Never Seem To Get Canceled Despite Some Pretty Awful Behavior Also in Celebrity: "I Haven't Paid My Rent In 6 Months": Celebrities Are Getting Brutally Honest About What It's Really Like To Be Famous In Hollywood
