Even 10 Minutes Matter in Cancer Research
A recent study conducted by Indivumed Therapeutics highlights a crucial, yet often overlooked, factor in cancer research: the cold ischemia time (CIT), or the time it takes to preserve tumor tissues after surgical removal. This seemingly technical detail—whether tissue samples are snap-frozen within 10 minutes or after a longer delay—can profoundly alter the molecular characteristics of the samples, which in turn impacts the discovery of new cancer drug targets.
The findings, published in Cell Death & Disease, reveal that even short delays in preservation can lead to significant shifts in gene expression and protein activity, complicating efforts to accurately identify novel drug targets. This research underscores the importance of rapid tissue handling protocols for ensuring the reliability of molecular data, a critical step in precision oncology.
The Impact of Cold Ischemia on Molecular Integrity
The research team at Indivumed conducted a multi-omics analysis on more than 1,800 tumor and matched normal tissue samples from patients with colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and two subtypes of lung cancer. They compared the molecular profiles of samples frozen within 10 minutes after removal to those frozen after a delay of 25 minutes or more.
The differences were striking. Samples subjected to longer cold ischemia times exhibited substantial deviations in both gene expression and protein phosphorylation patterns. These changes obscure the true biology of the tumor, leading to potentially misleading conclusions in drug discovery. Gene and protein signatures critical for understanding cancer progression and treatment responses were significantly altered by even small delays, highlighting the fragility of molecular data when tissue is not preserved rapidly enough.
The Biopharma Challenge: Accurate Targets or False Leads?
The implications of these findings are far-reaching for cancer drug development. Most biopharmaceutical companies rely on tissue samples for early-stage research to identify oncogenic drivers and novel therapeutic targets. However, if the molecular profiles of these samples do not reflect the tumor’s biology accurately, it could lead researchers down unproductive paths. As Silvia von der Heyde, Senior Data Scientist at Indivumed Therapeutics, notes, this can result in "wasting time and resources on false leads," or worse, missing critical targets that could yield highly effective treatments.
Drug discovery efforts could be compromised when research focuses on altered molecular signatures, which do not align with the tumor’s behavior inside the patient. By ensuring tissue samples are frozen within a narrow window of time post-excision, Indivumed has demonstrated that it is possible to preserve the full spectrum of molecular characteristics, providing a more reliable foundation for identifying new cancer drug targets.
Bridging the Gap Between Molecular Data and Therapeutic Development
Indivumed’s approach to addressing cold ischemia time issues is rooted in a vision of building an infrastructure that can reliably support precision oncology. Through its Global Clinical Network, the company has collected and cataloged an extensive biobank of tumor and normal tissue samples, all preserved under standardized protocols to minimize cold ischemia time. This biobank forms the backbone of their efforts to identify and validate new therapeutic targets.
Jobst Landgrebe, Head of R&D at Indivumed, emphasizes that the integration of bioinformatics, biomathematics, and cell biology is crucial for realizing the full potential of this biobank. By combining high-quality tissue samples with advanced computational tools, the company is well-positioned to discover previously undetectable drug targets. This holistic approach not only accelerates target identification but also ensures that these targets are based on accurate molecular data.
Topics: Tools & Methods
