Omniscope, a leader in decoding the human immune system, has achieved a significant breakthrough in personalized pediatric cancer treatment through a collaborative study published in Annals of Oncology. The research, conducted with Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG), IRB Barcelona, and Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, successfully decoded immune response in a <1-year-old patient with renal rhabdoid tumor, one of the most aggressive and rare pediatric cancers.
Revolutionary Immune Profiling Technology
Using Omniscope's proprietary immune profiling platform, researchers tracked the dynamics of T cells across time and compartments, analyzing both tumor tissue and blood samples. This comprehensive approach enabled the identification of tumor-reactive T cells with high precision, providing critical insights that informed the patient's immunotherapy response and established the foundation for designing second-line, personalized cell therapies using TCR-T engineering.
"Personalized cell therapies are now within reach," said Prof. Holger Heyn, Omniscope Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer and ICREA Professor at the CNAG. "In this study, we demonstrate how tumor-reactive T cells can be identified both within the tumor and in the bloodstream. Combined with recent advances in engineering a patient's own cells — both in vitro and in vivo — this work marks a significant step forward toward the next leap in precision oncology."
Real-Time Immune Monitoring Capabilities
The research team successfully demonstrated that combining liquid biopsy with large-scale TCR sequencing enables real-time immune monitoring that can guide and predict therapy outcomes, particularly in diseases where standard treatments fall short. This approach represents a paradigm shift in how clinicians can monitor and adapt treatment strategies for pediatric cancer patients.
"We are showing that designing tailor-made therapies with the patient's own cells is no longer science fiction," emphasized Professor Holger Heyn, highlighting the practical implications of this technological advancement.
Transforming Drug Discovery and Patient Care
The study's implications extend beyond individual patient treatment to broader drug discovery and development processes. Vijay Vaswani, Omniscope Co-founder and CEO, explained the broader impact: "Cancer and other immune-mediated diseases require scalable, personalized solutions. By modeling response to therapy through proprietary immune data and validated mRNA platforms, Omniscope helps drastically reduce the cost, time and complexity of cell therapy development. This approach can extend across immune-mediated diseases, transforming both patient care and drug discovery."
Clinical Significance for Rare Pediatric Cancers
This study provides one of the first in-depth immune monitoring cases in pediatric rhabdoid cancer, addressing a critical gap in treatment options for this rare and challenging disease. The research underscores the potential of in silico and mRNA-enabled designs to advance personalized therapies for rare and challenging diseases where conventional treatment approaches have limited effectiveness.
The breakthrough demonstrates how real-time immune monitoring, combined with liquid biopsy and massive sequencing, can anticipate response to therapies and accelerate the development of personalized treatments. This opens the door to a new generation of more effective, scalable, and personalized immunotherapies, especially beneficial for diseases where standard treatments prove ineffective.
The milestone represents a significant advancement in combining immunological data, mRNA platforms, and in silico tools to change the paradigm of personalized medicine, offering new hope for patients with rare pediatric cancers and their families.
