Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld

Overview

The Rosenfeld group develops molecular diagnostic tools for cancer detection, characterisation and monitoring, to help make more informed treatment decisions. We focus on liquid biopsies, in which we analyse blood samples to detect and characterise cell-free circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). We’ve shown that analysis of ctDNA can be used to identify tumour genomic alterations to select targeted therapies, and to identify patients with molecular residual disease (MRD) who remain at high risk after initial treatment and may benefit from further treatment. Current projects aim to develop assays for earlier detection of cancer in individuals at high risk, and simplified methods for cancer monitoring using few drops of blood.

In 2024, Professor Rosenfeld replaced Prof. Nick Lemoine as Director of the Barts Cancer Institute.

• Biomarkers
• Cancer Evolution and Genomics
• Prevention and Screening
• Breast
• Lung
• Ovarian

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Team

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Extended Team

The cfDNA research group is led by:

• Prof Nitzan Rosenfeld
• Dr Amit Roshan
• Dr Hui Zhao
• Dr Dmitry Shcherbo (Blizard)
• Prof Tommy Kaplan

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Key Publications

• Residual ctDNA after treatment predicts early relapse in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Ann Oncol. (2022) 33(5):500-510. PMID: 35306155
• ctDNA monitoring using patient-specific sequencing and integration of variant reads. Sci Transl Med. (2020) 17;12(548):eaaz8084. PMID: 32554709
• Non-invasive analysis of acquired resistance to cancer therapy by sequencing of plasma DNA. Nature. (2013) 2;497(7447):108-12. PMID: 23563269
• Analysis of circulating tumor DNA to monitor metastatic breast cancer. N Engl J Med. (2013) 28;368(13):1199-209. PMID: 23484797
• Noninvasive Identification and Monitoring of Cancer Mutations by Targeted Deep Sequencing of Plasma DNA. Sci Transl Med (2012) 30;4(136):136ra68. PMID: 22649089

See recent publications

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Major Funding

• 2023-2027 – EU Horizon Europe consortium co-investigator (funded by UKRI under the Horizon Europe Guarantee):“PANCAID: Pancreatic Cancer Initial Detection via liquid biopsy”
• 2019-2026 – Cancer Research UK Early Detection and Diagnosis Programme Award, co-lead with Prof. Robert Rintoul, Royal Papworth Hospital and University of Cambridge: “ELUSIVE: Early-stage Lung and Second primary cancer non-invasIVE detection by analysis of trace amounts of tumour DNA in liquid biopsy specimens”
• 2018-2025 – Cancer Research UK Early Detection and Diagnosis Programme Award, co-lead with Prof. Doug Easton, University of Cambridge: “Earlier Diagnosis in women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer”

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Other Activities

• Member of CRUK’s Early Detection and Diagnosis Research funding Committee.
• Member of Sectional Committee 1, Academy of Medical Sciences; 2021-2024
• Co-founder and former CSO, Inivata (now part of NeoGenomics)

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Related News

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