Volition's Nu.Q® Cancer Test Shows Promise in Lung Cancer Screening and Pan-Cancer Detection
核心洞察
Volition (搜索) has enrolled the first patient in a 500-patient validation study at National Taiwan University Hospital to evaluate Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) technology for distinguishing between malignant and benign pulmonary nodules in LDCT lung cancer (搜索) screening.
A recently published study demonstrated that Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) test can accurately detect 21 different cancer types with high specificity, positioning it as a potential standalone pan-cancer test or complement to existing liquid biopsy technologies.
The company is pursuing multiple licensing agreements with diagnostic and liquid biopsy companies in 2025, targeting the $20 billion liquid biopsy market with a test that can run on existing automated platforms worldwide.
Volition (搜索) has announced significant progress in the clinical validation of its proprietary Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) technology, with two major developments that could transform early cancer detection and screening programs.
First Patient Enrolled in Lung Cancer Nodule Differentiation Study
VolitionRx Limited (搜索) (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) has enrolled the first patient in a prospective validation study evaluating its Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) technology for distinguishing between malignant and benign pulmonary nodules in patients undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer (搜索).
The 500-patient study, conducted in collaboration with National Taiwan University Hospital, aims to address a critical challenge in lung cancer (搜索) screening. While LDCT is the gold standard for early detection, its high sensitivity often results in false positives and over-diagnosis, leading to unnecessary invasive procedures.
Professor Jin-Shing Chen, Department Chief of Surgery at National Taiwan University Hospital, highlighted the potential impact: "Results from our previous study, published on March 7th, 2025, indicate that Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) can accurately identify malignant nodules, including small ones, with high sensitivity."
The validation study is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. If successful, the Nu.Q® test could be incorporated into national lung cancer (搜索) screening programs, potentially increasing screening uptake and saving lives through earlier diagnosis.
"First patient enrollment is an important milestone," said Jasmine Kway, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Volition (搜索). "A blood-based test that can help distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous nodules would be tremendously valuable in clinical practice and a strong addition to any lung cancer (搜索) screening program."
Breakthrough in Pan-Cancer Detection
In a separate development, Volition (搜索) has announced results from a study showing that an automated Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) immunoassay test in development successfully detected a range of 21 different cancers with high accuracy.
The study, currently undergoing peer review and available on medRxiv, investigated a novel immunoassay method for measuring small amounts of cell-free nucleosomes (搜索) in blood samples from 229 cancer patients (including 70 with early-stage cancer) and 150 healthy subjects.
The test demonstrated an overall AUC (Area Under the Curve) of 86% in detecting common fatal cancers, including lung, breast, prostate, colon, and liver cancers, with very low false positive rates.
"This is a breakthrough based on 15 years of development work by our scientific team at Volition (搜索)," said Dr. Jake Micallef, Chief Scientific Officer at Volition. "The accuracy, low-cost and routine nature of the Nu.Q® Cancer (搜索) test means it may be useful, alongside current cancer screening methods, for detecting cancer before symptoms become apparent."
Commercial Strategy and Market Potential
Volition (搜索) is positioning its Nu.Q® technology to disrupt the liquid biopsy industry, which represents a $20 billion Total Annual Accessible Market in the U.S. alone.
Gael Forterre, Chief Commercial Officer at Volition (搜索), outlined the company's strategy: "We are in active discussions regarding our cancer portfolio with several large diagnostic and liquid biopsy companies, with the goal of signing multiple licensing agreements this year, including milestone payments in addition to ongoing revenue."
A key advantage of Volition (搜索)'s approach is that its nucleosome assays can run on existing automated chemiluminescence platforms worldwide without requiring new hardware. This could accelerate adoption and make the technology widely accessible through licensing and partnership arrangements.
Professor Léa Payen from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Hospices Civils de Lyon, who co-authored the pan-cancer study, noted: "Circulating nucleosome levels show great promise as clinically useful biomarkers in oncology. We are working with Volition (搜索) to advance the use of nucleosome measurements not only in early cancer detection but also in the management of cancer patients, particularly in the detection of Minimal Residual Disease for assessment of treatment efficacy."
About Volition's Nu.Q® Technology
Volition (搜索)'s Nu.Q® technology is based on the science of epigenetics, focusing on nucleosomes (搜索)—structures consisting of DNA wrapped around histone proteins. The company's proprietary tests measure and analyze these nucleosomes in blood samples to detect cancer and other diseases.
The technology has potential applications across the cancer care continuum, from early detection and screening to treatment monitoring and minimal residual disease assessment.
As a multi-national epigenetics company, Volition (搜索) conducts its research and development primarily in Belgium, with additional facilities in the U.S. and London. The company's mission is to save lives and improve outcomes through earlier detection and better monitoring of life-altering diseases.