Project Advances Single-Cell Diagnostic Test for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15% to 20% of breast cancers and is associated with high relapse rates, rapid progression, and limited treatment options. Clinicians still lack reliable biomarkers to predict response to immunotherapy or chemotherapy combinations, while bulk assays can mask resistance-driving tumor heterogeneity. To support more precise treatment selection, a new single-cell diagnostic platform is being advanced for TNBC.

One Biosciences (Paris, France) and Institut Curie (Paris, France) have secured €3.3 million in support from Bpifrance through France 2030’s i‑Démo 5 program for the four‑year CAST (Cancer Single‑cell Analysis for Therapy) project. The initiative aims to bring One Biosciences’ OneMap to market as an in vitro diagnostic test and the first single-cell diagnostic platform specifically designed to inform treatment selection in TNBC. The effort is intended to move single-cell tumor profiling closer to routine clinical use.

Image: The project aims to move single-cell tumor profiling closer to routine clinical use

OneMap combines single-cell transcriptomics with artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze tumors at individual-cell resolution and generate clinically actionable reports within two weeks from standard hospital biopsies. By resolving intratumoral heterogeneity and identifying cell populations that may drive treatment resistance, the platform is intended to support more precise therapeutic choices. This approach addresses a key limitation of current diagnostic methods, in which bulk analyses can average signals across diverse tumor cell populations and obscure clinically relevant biology.

Under the fifth 2026 i-Démo call for projects, the CAST program will focus on industrializing the OneMap platform, validating predictive biomarkers in TNBC, preparing for regulatory approval, and scaling centralized clinical laboratory infrastructure in the Paris region to support future commercial deployment. The partners describe the project as bridging research and clinical implementation within the France 2030 framework.

Initial studies conducted jointly by One Biosciences and Institut Curie have demonstrated the generation of high-quality single-cell data from routine TNBC biopsies and identified cellular signatures associated with response to immunotherapy. CAST will build on Institut Curie’s clinical expertise and the Institute of Women’s Cancers to access a cohort of more than 300 patients. The consortium expects to assemble the world’s largest clinically annotated single-cell dataset in this disease area.

“This funding is a defining milestone for One Biosciences and the progression of single cell technology into the clinic. CAST accelerates the path from breakthrough science to a scalable commercial product that can help oncologists make better treatment decisions for patients. We are very grateful to France 2030 for their transforming support,” said Hedi Ben Brahim, CEO of One Biosciences.

“Triple-negative breast cancer remains one of the hardest breast cancers to treat because we still lack robust tools to predict response and resistance. The medical need is to deescalate treatment for good responders to limit the side effects and to better chose a salvage treatment for bad responders. By combining clinical expertise with single-cell and AI technologies, CAST has the potential to give oncologists a much more precise understanding of each patient’s tumor and ultimately improve treatment decisions and outcomes,” added Dr. Luc Cabel, medical oncologist at Institut Curie and Principal Investigator of the CAST project.

Related Links
One Biosciences
Institut Curie