Gastrointestinal health company Previse has unveiled data that shows the ability of its flagship Esopredict test to predict the likelihood of progression to high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in patients with Barrett's oesophagus.
Data from a clinical validation study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (AJG), showed that patients identified by Esopredict as high risk had a 22% average risk of progression within five years – four times higher than the average risk of progressing to HGD or EAC. In contrast, low risk patients had only a 1.9% risk, with a modelled negative predictive value of 99%.
Esopredict works by analysing a patient’s DNA methylation levels, an early indicator of disease progression that often precedes visible changes. Each result included a personalised risk score and the patient’s probability of progression. Previse licenced the biomarker technology from Johns Hopkins University.
Barrett's oesophagus is a condition where cells in the oesophagus grow abnormally, typically due to chronic acid reflux. This change is the only known precursor and is a significant risk factor for developing oesophageal cancer.
Sarah Laun, vice president of R&D at Previse said: “Effective treatments are available for patients with Barrett's oesophagus. However, gastroenterologists have lacked access to an epigenetic tool that identifies patients likely to progress towards cancer. Esopredict enables clinicians to identify high-risk patients earlier, allowing them to intervene and treat sooner, potentially saving patients' lives.”
Founded in 2018, Previse – previously named Capsulomics – closed a $3m seed round in March 2023 to advance the Esopredict test. In October2023, the National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.8m grant to support additional clinical testing of the test.
At Digestive Disease Week 2023, Previse shared that it is also conducting research in which oesophageal cytology samples are collected using a minimally invasive swallowable sponge device, and DNA from the samples is tested for biomarkers indicating EAC. Researchers validated this test as a promising method of detecting EAC without endoscopy.
