Quest Diagnostics is teaming up with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey for a clinical trial examining early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Under the new partnership, Haystack Oncology – an early-stage oncology company that Quest acquired for $300 million in June – will use its industry-leading personalized MRD technology to help evaluate therapeutic response and provide molecular insights for the study, the Secaucus-headquartered testing provider announced in a Dec. 14 press release.

As New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, together with RWJBarnabas Health, offers advanced cancer treatment options, including bone marrow transplantation, proton therapy, CAR T-cell therapy and complex surgical procedures.

Along with clinical trials and novel therapeutics, such as precision medicine and immunotherapy – many of which are not widely available – patients have access to these cutting-edge therapies at Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Brunswick, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital in Newark, as well as through RWJBarnabas Health facilities.

Founded in 2021, Baltimore-based Haystack Oncology’s liquid biopsy technology aims to help identify cancer recurrence after surgery and treatment. Through its work with biopharmaceutical companies, Haystack Oncology seeks to advance important therapeutics to global markets from early phase clinical development to companion diagnostics.

“Triple-negative breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer that is aggressive by nature with a complex biology, therefore, the disease tends to have a worse prognosis,” said Dr. Mridula George, associate program director of breast medical oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and principal investigator of the study, which is also open at select RWJBarnabas Health sites across New Jersey.

“We are excited to use Haystack’s MRD technology to monitor treatment response in our clinical trial that could help inform future studies and novel approaches that will result in better outcomes for our patients,” George stated.

Dan Edelstein, vice president and general manager of Haystack Oncology, echoed the sentiment, saying the company is looking forward to aiding Rutgers Cancer Institute in its efforts “to optimize therapeutic strategies for patients with early-stage breast cancer.”

He added, “With unparalleled sensitivity, Haystack MRD provides a tool for anticipating and evaluating treatment-related benefits to a greater depth than standard clinical and radiographic metrics, making it well-equipped to support clinical studies such as this, which are essential for advancing cancer care.”