MERIT is ready to partner with you to execute a study in a variety of indications. Our configurable EXCELSIORTM software and team of medical experts support many therapeutic agents, types of tumors, response criteria, and modalities including, but not limited to, those below.
Examples of Oncology Areas of Focus
THERAPEUTIC AGENTS
Chemotherapy
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (before surgery or radiation)
- Adjuvant chemotherapy (after surgery or radiation)
Biomarker targeted therapy
- Small molecule-based targeted therapy
- mAB-based targeted therapy
Immunotherapy
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors
- T cell transfer therapy (CAR-T therapy)
- Other immune system modulating small molecules and mABs
RNA-based therapies
- Antisense sequences
- Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs)
- microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs)
- Anti-miRs
- mRNA-based platforms
TYPES OF TUMORS
Solid tumors (sarcomas, carcinomas, and lymphomas)
- Lung cancer (NSCLC and SCLC)
- Breast cancer
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Colorectal cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Glioma
Liquid tumors (Leukemias)
- Lymphoma
- Myeloma
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
RESPONSE CRITERIA
| Response Criteria | For Use With | Date Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RECIST1.1 | Solid tumors | 2009 | Used for measurement of lymph nodes. Modified existing WHO criteria |
| iRECIST | Solid tumors | 2017 | Used in cancer immunotherapy trials to account for delayed response or pseudo progression |
| mRECIST | Hepatocellular carcinoma | 2010 | Accounts for tumor necrosis by not including necrotic portion of lesions in measurement |
| RANO-BM | Parenchymal brain metastasis | 2013 | Modified RECIST to evaluate brain metastases |
| Lugano | Lymphoma (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's) | 2014 | Uses FDG-PET to define response with or without CT/ MRI |
| PCWG3 | Prostate cancer | 2011 | Defines criteria to assess visceral and bone disease |
DIAGNOSTIC MODALITIES (SOURCE: WWW.NIBIB.NIH.GOV)
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT)
The term “computed tomography”, or CT, refers to a computerized x-ray imaging procedure in which a narrow beam of x-rays is aimed at a patient and quickly rotated around the body, producing signals that are processed by the machine’s computer to generate cross-sectional images—or “slices”—of the body. These slices are called tomographic images and contain more detailed information than conventional x-rays. Once a number of successive slices are collected by the machine’s computer, they can be digitally “stacked” together to form a three-dimensional image of the patient that allows for easier identification and location of basic structures as well as possible tumors or abnormalities.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive imaging technology that produces three dimensional detailed anatomical images. It is often used for disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. It is based on sophisticated technology that excites and detects the change in the direction of the rotational axis of protons found in the water that makes up living tissues.
NUCLEAR MEDICINE/POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (NM/PET)
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses radioactive tracers (radiopharmaceuticals) to assess bodily functions and to diagnose and treat disease. Specially designed cameras allow doctors to track the path of these radioactive tracers. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography or SPECT and Positron Emission Tomography or PET scans are the two most common imaging modalities in nuclear medicine.
If your study involves an area of focus not outlined above, please contact us. The examples listed here are not an all-inclusive list of our offerings.