Researchers aim to detect the esophagus using cutting-edge medical technologies

Researchers aim to detect the esophagus using cutting-edge medical technologies

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and University Hospitals (UH) will use cutting-edge medical technologies they invented and licensed to Lucid Diagnostics Inc. to capture the esophagus, specifically Barrett's esophagus (BE).

BE is a change in the cellular structure of the lining of the esophagus, typically caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also known as heartburn. The aim is to reduce the incidence of esophageal cancer (EAC).

EAC is a rare cancer with a high mortality rate—the cause of 2.6% of all cancer deaths nationally—more common in men than women, according to the National Cancer Institute. Given that esophageal cancer has a strong 20% ​​five-year survival rate, early detection and treatment of BE are critical to reduce EAC-related mortality.

Case Western Reserve and UH will evaluate how effective Esocheck and Esoguard-Two FDA-approved technologies developed by lucid diagnostics are in detecting in a non-DE population that meets the American Mastroenterological Association (AGA) criteria for screening.

Patients without GERD symptoms account for almost half of the prevalent EAC cases. However, these individuals are excluded from the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) guidelines in which chronic GERD is a mandatory requirement for screening. We want to use Esocheck and Esoguard to improve detection within a vulnerable population that would otherwise go unchecked, and to do so in a way that does not overwhelm endoscopy resources. “

Amitabh Chak, professor of medicine and oncology at CWRU, a gastroenterologist at UH and the Brenda and Marshall B. Brown Master Clinician in Innovation and Discovery at the UH Seidman Cancer Center

The clinical trial includes 800 participants recruited from UH, the University of Colorado, Johns Hopkins University, the University of North Carolina and the Cleveland Clinic.

The research is supported by a new $8 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health.

“This award is a wonderful recognition and culmination of esophageal work that our team has worked aggressively on over the past 10 years,” said Sanford Markowitz, the study's principal investigator and the Ingalls Professor of Cancer Genetics at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. “We are excited about the opportunity to advance these potentially life-saving technologies that could increase the number of people who qualify for esophageal screening and offer fresh hope for esophageal cancer prevention.”

Markowitz, Chak, Joseph Willis, professor in the Department of Pathology, and Helen Moinova, instructor in the School of Medicine, are all inventors of the technologies and strategic advisors to clear diagnostics.

To close the gap and reduce the burden on limited endoscopic resources, the research team will use Esocheck and Esoguard to identify at-risk adults who otherwise would not be tested.

Clinicians can use Esocheck technology to quickly and non-invasively collect surface esophageal cells for analysis without endoscopy. The Esocheck capsule, which resembles a gel cap and is connected to a thin catheter, is swallowed by patients.

After cells are retrieved, the Esoguard DNA test is used to identify abnormal esophageal cells and diagnose disease before it progresses.

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