Phase I trial in Germany will support treatment response monitoring for Kupando Therapeutics’ investigational immunotherapy using Latitude MRD testing

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, today announced a new collaboration regarding a Phase 1 clinical trial, sponsored by Kupando Therapeutics.

Under the agreement, Natera’s Latitude tissue-free assay for molecular residual disease (MRD) detection will be used in Kupando’s clinical trial of its lead immunotherapy candidate, KUP-101. The trial will assess serial circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) dynamics as part of treatment response monitoring. Patients with advanced tumors across multiple skin cancers will be treated with KUP-101 and Latitude MRD testing will be performed at multiple timepoints.

Following the successful dosing of the first patient, Kupando’s safety committee has approved the ongoing enrollment of further patients across the activated clinical sites, including leading oncology centers in Germany.

KUP-101 is designed to activate the innate immune system and induce trained immunity. It has potential as a tissue-agnostic treatment across multiple solid tumor types, both as a standalone therapy and in combination with other agents. To evaluate molecular response in this setting, the Latitude test is well suited to assess treatment response in the trial.