New AACR D3 data mark a significant milestone for functional precision medicine, arriving as ASCO formally affirms the field as the future of care
MADISON, Wis., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elephas Biosciences Corporation, a private company that has developed an innovative live tissue platform for immunotherapy response prediction, announced new data at the American Association for Cancer Research Drug Discovery and Development (AACR D3) conference. The data show that the elive platform, already shown to measure response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), now can support targeted therapies as well.
The milestone broadens the platform’s reach across two of oncology’s most important therapeutic modalities, and lands at a moment of momentum for the field: the presentation came shortly after the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) issued a clinical notice formalizing its support for functional precision medicine as a meaningful path forward in cancer care.
The poster, “Evaluation of immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies ex vivo in live tumor fragments from core biopsies and resections accurately predicts response in the clinic,” was presented by Sean Caenepeel, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Elephas. Data were generated from mouse xenografts and live tumor fragments from a human specimen. Ex vivo treatment with daraxonrasib exhibited similar cytotoxic effects in both models, a strong signal that the platform’s performance translates from preclinical models to patient tissues.
This expansion lands at a pivotal moment for functional precision medicine. It arrives alongside ASCO’s recent clinical notice on the approach, and Elephas is now demonstrating that its platform spans both immunotherapies and targeted therapies. Together, these developments show ex vivo functional testing moving from a promising concept to a future tool for guiding real-world treatment decisions.
“ASCO’s notice reflects real momentum toward more personalized cancer care,” said Maneesh Arora, founder and CEO of Elephas. “Our prior data show that functional testing on live tumor tissue can predict response to immunotherapy. The elive platform now has the potential to profile response to targeted therapies as well. Elephas is proud to be one of the only companies with data supporting functional precision medicine across both treatment classes, and we’re energized to help shape what comes next for oncology diagnostics.”
About Elephas Biosciences
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with the number of patients projected to triple by 2060. Despite significant increase in the number of available immunotherapies, only 1 in 5 patients receiving immunotherapy obtain a response and many who may respond are not eligible for therapy due to lack of accurate predictive biomarkers. With the mission to tackle this growing dilemma, Elephas has developed an ex vivo platform to assess how live biopsies respond to immunotherapies. By preserving the native tumor microenvironment from a live core needle biopsy and using a novel method to address tumor heterogeneity, the elive platform enables a real-time characterization of immune response. To learn more, visit www.elephas.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
SOURCE Elephas