Liquid Biopsy Research Summary February 2026 - Summarized Science

Summary of key Liquid Biopsy publications highlighting major findings, clinical relevance, and emerging research trends.

Liquid Biopsy Research Summary January 2026 - Summarized Science

Summary of key Liquid Biopsy publications highlighting major findings, clinical relevance, and emerging research trends.

New blood test could 'transform' cancer treatment: B.C. research

A new study out of the University of British Columbia has found that more personalized cancer treatments can be developed by drawing just a few drops of blood from a patient.

Interplay between ESR1/PIK3CA codon variants, oncogenic pathway alterations and clinical phenotype in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC): comprehensive circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis - Breast Cancer Research

Background although being central for the biology and druggability of hormone-receptor positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC), ESR1 and PIK3CA mutations are simplistically dichotomized as mutated or wild type in current clinical practice. Methods The study analyzed a multi-institutional cohort comprising 703 patients with luminal-like MBC characterized for circulating tumor DNA through next generation sequencing (NGS). Pathway classification was defined based on previous work (i.e., RTK, RAS, RAF, MEK, NRF2, ER, WNT, MYC, P53, cell cycle, notch, PI3K). Single nucleotide variations (SNVs) were annotated for their oncogenicity through OncoKB. Only pathogenic variants were included in the models. Associations among clinical characteristics, pathway classification, and ESR1/PIK3CA codon variants were explored. Results The results showed a differential pattern of associations for ESR1 and PIK3CA codon variants in terms of co-occurring pathway alterations patterns of metastatic dissemination, and prognosis. ESR1 537 was associated with SNVs in the ER and RAF pathways, CNVs in the MYC pathway and bone metastases, while ESR1 538 with SNVs in the cell cycle pathway and liver metastases. PIK3CA 1047 and 542 were associated with CNVs in the PI3K pathway and with bone metastases. Conclusions The study demonstrated how ESR1 and PIK3CA codon variants, together with alterations in specific oncogenic pathways, can differentially impact the biology and clinical phenotype of luminal-like MBC. As novel endocrine therapy agents such as selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDS) and PI3K inhibitors are being developed, these results highlight the pivotal role of ctDNA NGS to describe tumor evolution and optimize clinical decision making.

A view on drug resistance in cancer - Nature

A review of drug resistance in cancer analyses each biological determinant of resistance separately and discusses existing and new therapeutic strategies to combat the problem as a whole.

Post-Doctoral Researcher - AICRI project (Fixed-term specified purpose for up to 5 years, with initial funding available for 2 years) (Reference 137/2023)

Applications are invited for the following Post in the Technological University Dublin:  

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