AACR 2022 Recap: 3D Genomics is Redefining Cancer Research

Our team had a great time in New Orleans last week at the annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting. After a very long COVID-19 conference hiatus, it was wonderful to connect in person with so many colleagues, scientists, and customers and share the successes of recent cancer research projects leveraging Arima Genomics Hi-C technology. The team relished in the energy of New Orleans and the meeting, which highlighted so many breakthroughs in understanding cancer biology.

Exhibit Highlights: Sharing How Cancer Researchers Can Leverage 3D Genomics

The Arima Genomics booth at AACR 2022 in New Orleans.

At our booth, we showcased the benefits of 3D genomics in helping researchers gain unparalleled access to the sequence, structure, and regulatory landscape of cancer genomes. Our tools are helping cancer researchers all over the world better understand disease mechanisms, identify novel biomarkers, and establish new drug targets.

We also announced our cancer research grant program, enabling researchers to apply for a free Arima Genomics kit to power their exploration of cancer genomics. Applications close May 4, 2022. Learn more: Cancer Research Grant.

Poster Presentations: FFPE Specimens Yield Clinically Actionable Insights

Download Poster: Identification of clinically relevant gene fusions in archived pediatric solid and liquid tumor samples using Arima-HiC sequencing.

Our team presented research done in partnership with Midhat Farooq, MD, PhD, and Atif Ahmed, MD, at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, which described research using Arima Genomics’ Hi-C technology to detect clinically actionable gene fusions in pediatric cancer samples preserved in formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. The study attempted to understand the diagnostic yield improvements possible with Arima Genomics’ tools to provide an unbiased view of pediatric alveolar cancer samples.

Download Poster: Sensitive and unbiased detection of clinically actionable gene fusions from FFPE tumor biopsies using the Arima-HiC platform.

We also partnered with David Jacob Hermel, MD, and Darren Sigal, MD, from Scripps Clinic and the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center on research to study a novel approach to identifying gene fusions using the Arima Hi-C platform across samples representing a range of cancer types in adults. Arima Genomics’ technology provided unbiased detection of both the known gene fusions and numerous other structural variants in each sample analyzed.

Spotlight Theater: Closing in on Undiagnosable Tumors – The Case for 3D Genome Profiling of All Cancers

At Arima’s spotlight theater presentation, our SVP of Science Anthony Schmitt, PhD, was joined by our customer Matija Snuderl, MD of NYU Langone Health and School of Medicine, in presenting “Closing in on Undiagnosable Tumors – The Case for 3D Genome Profiling of All Cancers.” Dr. Schmitt described the capabilities of Arima’s technology in helping researchers understand genomic sequence and structure. He described the utility of 3D genomics in cancer research enabling the identification of structural variants such as gene fusions and intergenic rearrangements as potential drivers of disease, detecting 3D interactions that yield insights into the regulation of oncogenes, and retaining DNA sequence information delivered by established next-generation sequencing platforms.

Dr. Snuderl showed the real-world impact of these data, giving specific examples of how 3D genomic profiling of brain and kidney tumors can improve diagnostic yield while providing actionable insights informing treatment approaches. Next, Dr. Snuderl outlined several challenges of current cancer research and diagnosis approaches, including access to samples that are now degraded due to FFPE preservation techniques or age, the importance of tissue context in understanding underlying cancer biology, and the failure of clinical practice panels to identify drivers of some tumors. Finally, he discussed how his lab is using 3D genomics in their research to develop a novel approach to characterize cancers with unknown drivers and therapeutic targets using Arima Genomics Hi-C profiling methods.

For anyone interested in this topic who may have missed us at AACR, Dr. Snuderl and Dr. Schmitt will be presenting their talks at an upcoming webinar:

It was fantastic to connect with so many scientists and clinicians at the forefront of cancer research. We look forward to many more years of attending and participating in this outstanding conference.