RNA Profiling Uncovers Therapeutic Targets in Solid Tumors

Expanding molecular profiling beyond DNA is being explored to reveal additional therapeutic opportunities. A new prospective study now reports that comprehensive RNA transcriptome profiling can uncover multiple antibody-drug conjugate targets in advanced solid tumors lacking DNA-based options.

BostonGene’s whole exome and transcriptome profiling combined with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered multiomic analysis was evaluated in the FEASY study conducted with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The findings, published in Cancer Discovery, examined the clinical utility of comprehensive transcriptome testing in patients with advanced solid tumors. The work focused on identifying therapeutic targets that were not revealed through DNA testing alone.

The approach integrates comprehensive transcriptome testing with immunologically integrated analysis to model tumor biology while filtering non-essential findings. By pairing whole exome and transcriptome profiling with AI, the method resolves complex RNA signals into biologically meaningful targets and pathways. This framework is designed to connect molecular findings to specific therapeutic classes.

In the prospective cohort, patients had previously undergone broad DNA panel testing of more than 100 genes but had no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)–recommended biomarkers linked to therapeutic options. RNA-based multiomic analysis identified actionable RNA findings in all patients analyzed. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) emerged as the most frequent therapeutic class associated with these AI-derived RNA insights, and every patient had multiple distinct ADC-linked targets.

The study indicates that transcriptome-enabled profiling can support new opportunities for clinical trial enrollment, particularly in ADC-focused programs, and help identify therapeutic opportunities for patients who previously had no actionable results from DNA-only testing.

“Multiomic profiling and biologically integrated analysis are transforming the treatment landscape for patients with the most advanced cancers,” said Nathan Fowler, MD, Chief Medical Officer at BostonGene. “By combining advanced AI platforms with our multi-layered molecular testing, we uncover therapeutic opportunities that standard genomic testing often miss. These insights directly connect more patients to life-changing therapies such as ADCs and accelerate the development of the next generation of targeted treatments.”

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