OncoHost to Present New Research on Small Cell Lung Cancer Subtypes at WCLC 2025

BINYAMINA, Israel and CARY, N.C., Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoHost, a technology company transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes, today announced that its latest research has been accepted for poster presentation at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), taking place September 6–9 in Barcelona, Spain.

The study, "Distinct Clinical and Biological Features of Five SCLC Subtypes Identified by Plasma Proteomic Analysis," highlights the company's innovative use of plasma proteomic profiling to advance precision medicine in small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Poster Presentation
Title: Distinct Clinical and Biological Features of Five SCLC Subtypes Identified by Plasma Proteomic Analysis
Presenter: David Gandara, MD (UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA) Session Date: September 8, 2025 | Poster Hall
Abstract Number: 3247

Study Highlights and Conclusions      
SCLC is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous disease, with distinct disease characteristics thought to reflect different mechanisms of therapeutic resistance. One strategy for patient stratification involves molecular subtyping based on transcription factor expression in tumor samples. These subtypes exhibit unique biological features and gene expression profiles that give rise to subtype-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities. Emerging evidence therefore suggests that integrating SCLC subtyping into clinical decision-making may support personalized treatment, improve biomarker-guided trial design, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes.

However, current subtyping approaches face two major limitations. First, tumor heterogeneity can lead to variability in test results across different biopsy sites. Second, recent studies indicate a significant risk of subtype shifting during treatment, reflecting tumor plasticity and therapeutic adaptation. Accordingly, there is a need for a non-invasive subtyping method that enables longitudinal monitoring of a patient's subtype.

By analyzing pre-treatment plasma samples from 79 patients with extensive-stage SCLC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy, the research team at OncoHost identified five distinct proteomic subtypes, each marked by unique molecular features and clinical outcomes. The subtypes display differential survival profiles for ICI-based treatment.

Proteomic profiling uncovered 469 differentially expressed proteins between the patients' subtypes, grouped into four major expression clusters enriched for pathways linked to cell cycle regulation, splicing, inflammation, and additional processes. The subtypes further differ in neuroendocrine and NOTCH signaling pathways, which play a critical role in SCLC progression and treatment response. These insights indicate that plasma proteomics-based subtyping can provide a minimally invasive approach to overcome the limitations of tissue biopsies, enable dynamic monitoring of disease, and identify new therapeutic opportunities - paving the way for more precise and personalized treatment strategies in SCLC.

"Small cell lung cancer remains one of the most challenging malignancies to treat due to its complexity and poor prognosis," said Michal Harel, PhD, VP Translational Medicine at OncoHost. "Our findings show that plasma proteomics can identify clinically meaningful SCLC subtypes and reveal new biological pathways that may serve as therapeutic targets."

Ofer Sharon, MD, CEO of OncoHost, added: "By integrating proteomic profiling and AI-driven capabilities to SCLC, we are uncovering actionable insights that have the potential to transform how we approach treatment decision-making. These results reinforce our mission to empower oncologists with predictive tools that improve patient outcomes in some of the most aggressive cancers."

About OncoHost   
OncoHost is a technology company headquartered in Binyamina, Israel, and Cary, North Carolina, transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes. OncoHost's proprietary platform, PROphet®, is a plasma-based, proteomic pattern analysis tool whose initial offering in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) uses a single blood sample to guide first-line immunotherapy decision-making. The PROphetNSCLC™ test provides clear clinical utility by offering physicians crucial guidance on the optimal first-line immunotherapy treatment plan for each individual patient, with a significant effect on overall survival.

Led by an experienced team of entrepreneurs and industry experts and supported by a large-scale prospective clinical trial with over 40 sites and 1,700 patients recruited worldwide, OncoHost is well-positioned to lead precision diagnostics and biomarker development to the next stage.

For more information, visit www.oncohost.com, or follow OncoHost on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube.

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SOURCE OncoHost