IMBDx Unveils Tissue-Free Liquid Biopsy-Based MRD Technology at ESMO

IMBDx, a precision medicine company specializing in liquid biopsy, announced on October 16 that it will present research results on its tissue-free liquid biopsy-based minimal residual disease (MRD) detection technology at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO 2025), which will be held in Berlin, Germany, from October 17 to 21.

IMBDx has developed "CancerDetect," the first technology in Korea capable of detecting minimal residual disease. The company recently established a foundation for clinical application by registering it as an innovative medical technology.

The new MRD technology, unlike conventional tumor tissue-based analysis, utilizes whole-genome methylation sequencing data from blood samples. It integrates the epigenetic features and DNA fragment structural characteristics of tumor-derived DNA using artificial intelligence. This enables the detection of minimal residual disease even in patients for whom tumor tissue is unavailable.

The study was conducted on 130 patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection. Among patients in whom minimal residual disease continued to be detected after surgery and chemotherapy, the three-year recurrence-free survival rate was only 9%. In contrast, the group without detectable minimal residual disease showed a 100% three-year recurrence-free survival rate. These findings confirm the clinical efficacy of the MRD technology.

Currently, early detection of cancer recurrence using liquid biopsy is categorized based on whether tumor tissue is utilized. Several international companies are developing products based on their respective approaches. However, discussions are still ongoing regarding which of the two strategies is more effective for detecting cancer recurrence.

The IMBDx research team compared and analyzed tissue-based MRD testing (CancerDetect) and tissue-independent MRD technology using the same samples from the same patient group. The results will be released locally through a poster session.

Cha Yongjun, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of IMBDx, stated, "The technology we are presenting offers new possibilities for accurately predicting recurrence even in patients for whom it is difficult to use tumor tissue." He added, "We plan to expand our MRD technology portfolio in the future to deliver greater clinical benefits to more patients."