Research Summary

Monitoring measurable residual disease (MRD) is a cutting-edge aspect of cancer care management. Advanced, state-of-the-art technologies are being employed to develop MRD assays for various cancers. Across the country, flow cytometry-based MRD monitoring is the standard for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and is used for risk stratification of ALL patients.

The PReDiCT Lab at TTCRC is dedicated to personalizing MRD tracking for ALL patients, aiming to evaluate disease burden after each treatment phase. Having earned the accreditation from EuroMRD, our lab has achieved a significant milestone by establishing an innovative assay that revolves around immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement, employing a quantitative PCR methodology. This innovative approach surpasses the conventional flow cytometry-based monitoring, exhibiting heightened sensitivity in quantifying residual disease among a homogenously treated patient cohort, in both frontline and relapsed protocols. However, to overcome challenges related to turnaround time, labour intensity and affordability, the team is vigorously transitioning toward a high-throughput MRD detection system based on next-generation sequencing.