Vergent Bioscience’s breakthrough at STS 2024: VGT-309 enhances lung cancer surgery

At the 60th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (#STS2024), Vergent Bioscience, a Minneapolis-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, presented compelling new data about VGT-309, its investigational tumor-targeted fluorescent imaging agent. This revolutionary agent is designed to visualize primary and metastatic tumor tissue in the lung during surgery, potentially transforming the way lung cancer is treated.

Groundbreaking Findings Presented at STS 2024

The new data from Vergent Bioscience reinforce the results of earlier clinical trials of VGT-309, suggesting that this imaging agent could significantly aid surgeons in identifying and removing tumors that are often difficult to detect during minimally invasive (MIS) and robotic-assisted lung cancer surgeries.

John Santini, President and CEO of Vergent Bioscience, expressed optimism about the potential of VGT-309: “The data presented today at STS 2024 suggest that VGT-309 could support more confident and reliable removal of a wide breadth of cancers in the lung that would otherwise be missed during minimally invasive and robotic surgery.”

Enhancing Surgical Precision with VGT-309

The VGT-309 Phase 2 efficacy study evaluated its impact on surgical outcomes in 40 individuals with suspected or confirmed lung cancer eligible for surgery. The study’s primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients experiencing at least one clinically significant event. Such events included the localization of lesions not found by standard surgical techniques, identification of synchronous and occult cancers, and assessment of inadequate surgical margins.

Patients in the study received VGT-309 preoperatively through intravenous infusion. Surgeons then attempted to localize tumors using standard techniques, followed by using a near-infrared (NIR) endoscope to assess the presence of tumor tissue, later confirmed by pathology. The study found that 17 out of 40 patients (42.5%) had at least one clinically significant event, underscoring the potential of VGT-309 in enhancing surgical precision.

VGT-309’s Safe and Effective Imaging Capabilities

VGT-309, with its NIR fluorescence imaging, visualized a range of tumor types intraoperatively, including adenocarcinoma, lymphoma, colorectal cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, sarcomas, and squamous cell carcinoma. Importantly, the study confirmed VGT-309’s safety and tolerability, with no reported infusion reactions or drug-related serious adverse events.

Sunil Singhal, the lead investigator from the University of Pennsylvania, highlighted the importance of this development: “Minimally invasive surgery has become the standard of care for many cancer surgeries, but poor visualization often hinders the complete removal of tumor tissue. The data from the VGT-309 Phase 2 efficacy study are encouraging, reinforcing the agent’s potential to fill this critical gap.”

Vergent Bioscience’s VGT-309 represents a significant leap forward in lung cancer surgery. By enhancing tumor visualization, VGT-309 could lead to more precise and effective surgeries, reducing the likelihood of cancer recurrence. This development is a promising step towards improving surgical outcomes and patient quality of life in the fight against lung cancer.