OncoMethylome Sciences signed an agreement to carry out MGMT gene-promoter methylation testing as part of Roche’s Phase III trial with Avastin (bevacizumab) in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumors. The trial will evaluate treatment of GBM patients using either standard-of-care therapy comprising chemoradiation and Schering-Plough’s Temodar or standard-of-care therapy plus Avastin.
Previously published studies have shown that GBM patients with a methylated MGMT gene promoter are more likely to respond to chemotherapy than those with an unmethylated, normally functioning MGMT gene. Oncomethylome’s MGMT methylation assay is based on its patented methylation-specific PCR technology. It will be used on all patients enrolled in Roche’s Avastin study.
Prospective confirmation of the predictive value of MGMT gene-promoter methylation in GBM patients is currently being evaluated in a randomized international Phase III trial by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.