Cellaria Inc. launches new cell lines to support the development of personalized therapies for lung cancer

Cellaria Inc., a scientific innovator with breakthrough tools for cancer research, now offers five stable, fully authenticated lung cancer cell models to support the development of more effective and targeted drug therapies.

Lung cancer was responsible for around 1.80 million deaths globally in 2020, more than any other cancer, making it an important area of clinical research. Each Cellaria model is securely linked to a well-defined patient tumor enabling the in vitro study of disease progression and drug response in specific patient biology with defined genetic and epigenetic characteristics. Such studies accelerate progress towards better therapies for specific patient populations.

Cellaria’s lung cancer cell models are all derived from tumors associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for around 85% of lung cancer cases. In recent years, considerable progress has been made towards optimizing treatment for different subtypes of NSCLC with the targeting of specific genetic mutations proving particularly productive. Cellaria’s new lung cancer models – Bastion, Boulder, Pincer, and Throne – join Jacket (an existing model), to provide a diverse patient cohort for the extension of such studies. All the patients within the cohort were over 60 years of age and had a history of smoking, but they exhibited notable, clinically significant differences including:

• Documented variation in consumption and duration of smoking
• Comorbidities – Throne had a previous diagnosis of melanoma
• Throne and Jacket have a KRAS genetic mutation, Pincer, Boulder, and Bastion did not

All Cellaria models are designed to be extremely stable and are supplied with a Certificate of Analysis, to support optimal application. In addition, Cellaria produces drug response reports showing data for three baseline relevant treatments. For the lung cancer cohort this report includes results for etoposide and cisplatin and for two targeted treatments:

Larotrectinib which is prescribed for patients with a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NRTK) gene fusion 

Erlotinib, which is prescribed for patients with a KRAS mutation.

Detailed information such as this makes it straightforward to use Cellaria models effectively from the outset to implement reproducible and relevant research and maximize the benefit of in vitro studies.

“With the increase in the availability of targeted therapeutics like larotrectinib and erlotinib, patient-specific models are adding essential utility.” Comments David Deems President and Founder, Cellaria Inc. “Jacket has mutations that make the patient a candidate for either Larotrectinib or Erlotinib. This unique patient-derived model enables the interrogation of each drug's performance with the model to determine differences”.

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