Introduction
Cancer is a heterogeneous genetic disease, and excisional biopsies provide only a snapshot in time of some of the rapid, dynamic genetic changes occurring in tumors. In addition, excisional biopsies are invasive, can’t be used repeatedly, and are ineffective in understanding the dynamics of tumor progression and metastasis. However, liquid biopsy, or blood-sample tests, under development by Quick Biology can generate actionable information for oncologists by analyzing therapeutic targets and drug resistance conferring gene mutations on circulating tumor cells and cell-free circulating tumor DNA released into the peripheral blood from metastatic deposits. Quick Biology uses next generation sequencing to identify somatic genomic alterations and designed personalized assays to quantify ctDNA in serially collected plasma samples. By detecting and quantifying genomic alterations in CTCs and cell-free DNA in blood, liquid biopsy can provide real-time information on the stage of tumor progression, treatment effectiveness, and cancer metastasis risk. This technological development could make it possible to diagnose and manage cancer from repeated blood tests rather than from a traditional biopsy.