Pillar Biosciences, LC-SCRUM-Asia and LSI Medience have launched a collaboration to support genomic screening of blood-based samples from patients with lung cancer in Japan.
The programme will use Pillar Biosciences’ oncoReveal Essential+ assay for analysis of circulating cell-free DNA and cell-free RNA collected from patients participating in the LC-SCRUM-Asia project.
Following approval of a revised project protocol, testing is expected to begin in August 2026 and include approximately 2,000 patients over a two-year period.
The assay has been validated at LSI Medience, which will conduct the testing and support identification of genomic alterations relevant to the research programme.
Liquid biopsy enables genomic information to be obtained from blood samples rather than relying exclusively on tumour tissue, potentially supporting testing in patients where tissue samples are difficult to obtain or repeated molecular assessment is required.
“LC-SCRUM-Asia has established an important collaborative framework for advancing precision oncology research in lung cancer,” said Daniel Harma, Chief Commercial Officer at Pillar Biosciences.
“We are pleased that oncoReveal Essential+ has been validated at LSI Medience for screening both cfDNA and cfRNA samples and look forward to supporting this large-scale project in Japan.”
Dr Koichi Goto of LC-SCRUM-Asia said genomic testing is increasingly important for identifying patients who may be suitable for biomarker-driven studies and emerging precision therapies.
“Rapid and reliable genomic testing is essential for identifying patients who may benefit from biomarker-driven clinical studies and emerging precision therapies,” he said.
“The use of oncoReveal Essential+ through LSI Medience will provide the LC-SCRUM-Asia network with a highly accurate and accessible liquid biopsy solution for analysing cfDNA and cfRNA from patients with non-small cell lung cancer, while supporting the rapid turnaround needed for clinical research.”
The collaboration expands the use of liquid biopsy within LC-SCRUM-Asia’s regional precision oncology research network and will generate additional real-world genomic data from lung cancer patients in Japan.
