Collaboration Brings Tumor-Informed MRD Monitoring to Breast Cancer Care in Abu Dhabi

For many patients, cancer treatment does not eliminate the risk of recurrence, which may occur months or years later and become harder to treat after spreading. Recurrence is often detected only after symptoms develop or disease becomes visible on imaging. A new initiative in Abu Dhabi is now introducing whole-genome-powered blood testing to detect molecular residual disease earlier.

M42 (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and Inocras (San Diego, CA, USA) have formed a strategic collaboration to deploy Inocras’ MRDVision platform for blood-based monitoring of cancer recurrence in the UAE. The collaboration will introduce tumor-informed molecular residual disease (MRD) monitoring in Abu Dhabi, beginning with a breast cancer pilot at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of M42. The pilot will focus on patients with higher-risk breast cancers, including triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive disease, which are considered aggressive subtypes with a greater risk of early recurrence.

Image: The collaboration advances precision oncology in the UAE by linking genomic insights with care beyond initial treatment (Image Credit: Shutterstock)

MRDVision is a whole-genome technology suite that combines comprehensive genomic profiling with personalized blood assays to detect molecular residual disease (MRD) through circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The tumor-informed approach first analyzes a patient’s tumor to identify its unique genetic profile and then tracks that profile in routine blood samples over time. Rather than relying on a bespoke panel for each patient, the platform follows thousands to tens of thousands of mutations across the whole cancer genome and can detect tumor DNA at single-digit parts-per-million levels.

Published studies in early breast cancer have shown that tumor-informed MRD testing can detect signs of recurrence several months before they become visible on imaging. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the UAE, with more than 1,400 new cases recorded in 2023. Against this backdrop, the pilot is intended to generate local evidence on MRDVision’s performance and health-economic value in the UAE clinical setting. Based on the results, M42 and Inocras also plan to explore establishing MRD testing capability within M42’s laboratories in the UAE.

“After treatment, one of the most important clinical questions is whether any cancer remains, and how early we can know if it is returning. Tumor-informed blood testing offers a way to look for disease at a molecular level, before it appears on imaging. Building robust evidence on how best to use this information in clinical practice is essential, and we are pleased to contribute to that work in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr. Stephen Grobmyer, Surgical Oncologist and Institute Chief of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Cancer Institute.

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M42
Inocras
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi