Compugen discovers new lung cancer biomarker

CGEN-438 is a novel splice variant peptide of delta-like protein 3 precursor (DLL3). Importantly, the Compugen discovered biomarker is a peptide that is secreted from the cell into the bloodstream, whereas the previously known DLL3 is a protein located on the cell membrane.

Initial clinical evidence indicates that the Compugen discovered molecule could potentially serve as both a serum biomarker for the diagnosis of small cell lung cancer and as a component in a biomarker combination for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients. A patent application covering this biomarker has been filed by Compugen.

Anat Cohen-Dayag, Compugen’s vice president of Diagnostic Biomarkers and Drug Targets, said: “In this particular case, although the peptide is a splice variant of DLL3 protein, it shares no sequence similarity to DLL3, thus further demonstrating the unique predictive power of this specific platform and of our in silico prediction and selection discovery capability in general.”