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Genomill Health's Bridge Capture™: A Revolutionary Approach to Liquid Biopsy in Colorectal Cancer

In the realm of cancer diagnosis and monitoring, few innovations hold as much promise as Genomill Health's Bridge Capture™ technology. Recently detailed in a clinical pilot study published in Scientific Reports, this cutting-edge solution aims to transform how medical professionals detect and track colorectal cancer, particularly in its metastatic stages.

What is Bridge Capture™?

Bridge Capture™ is a state-of-the-art technology designed to enhance the sensitivity and scalability of liquid biopsies. It simplifies the process of preparing targeted libraries for next-generation sequencing (NGS) — a crucial step in genomic analysis. NGS plays a vital role in identifying mutations in circulating tumor DNA extracted from blood samples, allowing for real-time monitoring of disease progression.

Clinical Study Insights

Conducted in collaboration with esteemed researchers from the University Hospital of Helsinki, the recent study aimed to assess Bridge Capture™'s effectiveness in detecting key mutations in blood samples from patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The results were promising; they demonstrated that Bridge Capture™ achieved sensitivity levels comparable to those of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), which has long been considered the gold standard in mutation detection.

Furthermore, the study revealed new oncogenic mutations that had not previously been identified, underscoring the technology's potential to enhance our understanding of disease progression through longitudinal plasma samples. Professor Ari Ristimäki noted the significance of Bridge Capture™ in providing high-sensitivity and scalable sequencing alongside a cost-effective and user-friendly workflow.

A Game-Changer for Liquid Biopsies

The implications of this breakthrough are profound. As lead researcher Simona Adamusová stated, “Bridge Capture matched or even exceeded reference methods in detecting mutations in patient samples. Its ability to track changes over time could prove invaluable for monitoring cancer progression and relapse.”

Manu Tamminen, CEO and co-founder of Genomill, emphasized that this innovative technology is well-positioned to facilitate widespread access to liquid biopsies, a process currently limited by high costs and infrastructure challenges. By simplifying laboratory workflows and integrating compatibility with multiple sequencing platforms, Bridge Capture™ lays the groundwork for convenient and distributed cancer diagnostics.

A New Standard in NGS Library Preparation

Juha-Pekka Pursiheimo, the Chief Technology Officer at Genomill and inventor of the technology, highlighted the unique aspects of Bridge Capture™. He explained that it utilizes single-stranded circular DNA for library design, offering a more flexible and robust alternative to traditional linear libraries. This approach, combined with their PCR-free DNA amplification methods, positions Genomill to revolutionize NGS library preparation.

Conclusion

The comprehensive study on Bridge Capture™, titled “Evaluation of Bridge Capture Technology for Mutation Profiling in Liquid Biopsies of Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer,” is fully available in Scientific Reports. For patients, such advancements could mean more timely interventions, better monitoring of treatment responses, and ultimately, improved outcomes.

As Genomill Health continues to push the boundaries of biotechnology, the future of cancer diagnostics looks brighter. With initiatives like Bridge Capture™, the goal of making liquid biopsies a routine part of cancer management becomes increasingly achievable.