Introducing CompamiR, an innovative project funded by The Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation under the category Young Researcher Culture Award in the field of Life Sciences. The project has received a total funding of 60,000 Euro.

CompamiR is dedicated to advancing precision oncology through the development of a novel microRNA-based diagnostic kit tailored to early breast cancer detection through liquid biopsies. This innovative technology will function as a companion diagnostic tool to Theramir’s therapeutic platform which is designed to selectively target tumors and deliver specific microRNA-based therapeutic agents .

THE PROBLEM

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, impacting 2.1 million women each year, and is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among the female population. Early detection of breast malignancies is urgently needed today to drastically reduce mortality rates. The high heterogeneity of breast cancer disease demands precision oncology tools that aim to customize therapeutic regimens to the unique molecular pathology of the patient. The current gold standard for the molecular profiling of a patient’s cancer is tissue biopsy. However, due to its highly invasive nature, tissue biopsy fails to capture the genetic heterogeneity of breast cancer and is also limited by serious constraints on sampling frequency.

THE SOLUTION

Liquid biopsies represent an innovative tool in precision oncology in order to overcome the current limitations associated with tissue biopsies. The technology involves the detection of tumor-derived material in liquid biological sources, such as blood and presents with several advantages over traditional tissue biopsies. Due to their minimally invasive nature, liquid biopsies enable (i) early detection of tumors (ii) accurate prognosis by providing information on the stage and metastatic profile of the disease (iii) identification of targets for personalized treatment iv) monitoring of therapy response and ‘’real-time’’ assessment of treatment effectiveness and vi) early identification of recurrent disease.

microrna as a liquid biopsy biomarker

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous non-coding RNA sequences that have been shown to play a role in many cellular processes. Studies have demonstrated that abnormal expression of miRNAs is associated with several types of cancers, tumor invasiveness and metastatic potential. The up- or down-regulation of tissue-specific miRNAs has been recognized as a major regulatory gatekeeper of signal transduction pathways and other biological pathways. Thus miRNAs have recently been suggested as innovative laboratory biomarkers as well as promising therapeutic targets. Owing to their stability and resistance to endogenous RNase activity, miRNAs hold significant potential as diagnostic, prognostic or predictive biomarkers in the clinical management of cancer disease.

theramir’s innovation

Through the CompamiR’ project, Theramir will develop a novel diagnostic tool, based on liquid biopsies, for early breast cancer diagnosis using existing biobanks from Greece (provided by the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group/HeCOG) (Fountzilas G., 2014). Innovative technologies will be used to test plasma samples collected from early breast cancer patients before treatment as well as post-treatment. The identification of novel biomarkers in early breast cancer holds the promise of advancing early detection methods, refining prognosis prediction and guiding more targeted and effective therapeutic interventions.

The CompamiR Project

Development of a novel COMPAnion microRNA-based diagnostic tool for real-time monitoring of breast cancer disease: towards the liquid biopsy era