Sponsored session: From FFPE to liquid biopsy: Applications for MicroSatellite Instability (MSI) testing now and in the future.

MSI is the accumulation of insertion or deletion (INDEL) mutations at microsatellite DNA repeat sequences in cancerous cells caused by a deficiency in one or more DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins. MSI is a functional test that measures the genomic accumulation of mutations caused by deficient mismatch-repair system (dMMR) cells that occurs commonly in certain types of solid tumours. Historically, MSI status has been used to screen for Lynch Syndrome, a dominant hereditary condition associated with a predisposition to different cancer types. Establishing the MSI status can also guide therapeutic choices as MSI-High tumour status can be predictive of a positive response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in several types of solid tumours. 

Speakers will discuss various aspects of MSI testing for Lynch Syndrome and ICI therapy. Also, preliminary data will be shown on determining MSI status in liquid biopsies (ctDNA) to assess ICI therapy response and relapse in MSI-High colorectal cancer. They will also discuss the clinical utility of MSI testing from a pathologist’s perspective.

Join this session to learn more about the MSI testing:

Precision Oncology for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy with OncoMate MSI Dx System. – Jeff Bacher, Sr Research Scientist 2, Promega

Clinical Utility of MSI testing for Lynch syndrome and anti-PD1 immunotherapy: The Pathologists Perspective. – Dr Anca Oniscu, Consultant Pathologist and Clinical Lead for Molecular Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.