Using Circulating Biomarkers to Support Precision Cancer Research

Precision oncology demands tools that can keep pace with the dynamic nature of cancer, yet traditional tissue biopsies offer only a limited snapshot. Liquid biopsy is reshaping how researchers study tumor biology by enabling minimally invasive access to circulating biomarkers that reflect real-time disease changes.

This presentation examines the current landscape of liquid biopsy research and its growing potential for cancer detection, monitoring, and treatment decision-making and it will highlight practical examples of how circulating biomarkers are being applied in translational cancer studies.

Attendees will gain practical insight into how these approaches are helping address key challenges in oncology research and paving the way for research into more responsive and personalized cancer care.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), DNA methylation profiles, and non-coding RNAs overcome limitations of tissue biopsies by capturing tumor heterogeneity and molecular dynamics in real time.
• Learn how liquid biopsy biomarkers can be used for early detection, prognosis, treatment selection, and disease monitoring, with practical examples from bladder cancer (urine-based ctDNA and methylation) and head and neck cancer (circulating microRNAs).
• Gain insight into emerging technologies and verification efforts that are accelerating the adoption of liquid biopsy into routine care, enabling more personalized, adaptive cancer management.
• Explore key analytical considerations for liquid biopsy assays, including sensitivity thresholds, biomarker validation, and factors that influence reliable ctDNA detection

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.