A clearer picture of HER2: Wobble Genomics unveils blood and tissue profiling at SABCS

What Wobble is showing at SABCS

Wobble Genomics will present new data at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showing its platform can deliver detailed HER2 profiling from both tumor tissue and blood samples. The company says the test reads not just whether HER2 is present, but the specific patterns of HER2 expression and genetic changes that can matter for treatment.

This is important because HER2 is a key marker in breast cancer care. If the claim holds up, doctors could use a single test to get richer information from a simple blood draw as well as from tissue. Wobble’s announcement focuses on the technical ability of its platform to detect nuanced HER2 signals and to match findings between tissue and liquid biopsy. The company frames the dataset as a step toward broader clinical use, but the release also notes there are limits and more work ahead.

How the data were generated and measured

The new material describes how Wobble used its sequencing platform and analytic software to test both formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue and matched plasma from patients. According to the company’s summary, the work included samples from multiple cohorts, and the team compared the platform’s calls against standard pathology and genetic tests.

Wobble reported measures such as concordance, sensitivity and specificity, and said the platform detected a range of HER2-related features: copy-number changes, structural rearrangements, and transcript patterns that relate to HER2 activity. The company highlighted cases where plasma testing picked up alterations that matched tissue findings, and examples where blood appeared to reflect tumor heterogeneity missed by single-site biopsy.

The announcement also spelled out limits. Some results had lower sensitivity in plasma than in tissue, and the company said sample quality, tumor fraction, and prior treatment could affect detection. Wobble framed the dataset as preliminary and suited to generate hypotheses, rather than to replace current diagnostic standards at this stage.

Clinical meaning for patients and doctors

If Wobble’s claims are replicated, clinicians would gain a finer-grain read on HER2 status. That could mean clearer answers about whether a tumor is driven by HER2, whether resistance mechanisms are emerging, and whether different parts of a patient’s disease behave differently.

A practical benefit is the possibility of using liquid biopsy — a blood test — to follow patients over time. Blood tests are easier and safer to repeat than tissue biopsies, so doctors could monitor how HER2 signals change on therapy. This might speed decisions about switching treatments, or enrolling patients into trials for new HER2-targeted drugs.

Still, the company’s own caveats matter: lower sensitivity in plasma and the need to link molecular patterns directly to patient benefit are open questions. For now, the work mostly widens possibilities rather than settles care standards.

Who Wobble Genomics is and next steps

Wobble Genomics is a diagnostics company focused on high-resolution sequencing and analytics for oncology. Its platform mixes deep sequencing with software designed to detect complex genetic changes. The firm has been building evidence across several programs, and this HER2 dataset is presented as part of that effort.

In its announcement, the company said the material will be shown at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The release framed the work as an early technical readout, and outlined next steps such as planned validation studies and additional cohorts to improve sensitivity and clinical correlation.

The statement said Wobble plans further clinical validation and to engage with regulatory bodies as studies progress. Management highlighted the need for peer-reviewed publication and external confirmation before broader clinical use.

Where this fits and what to watch

In the wider diagnostics market, tests that combine tissue and liquid readouts are gaining interest. Large hospitals and trial groups want tools that capture tumor complexity without repeated invasive procedures. If Wobble can show robust, repeatable results, it could become a candidate for partnerships with drug makers or labs that run routine cancer testing.

But many questions remain. Will results stand up in independent studies? How will payers view combined tissue and plasma testing? And can the company scale operations while keeping quality high? Watch for peer-reviewed papers, wider validation cohorts, and any regulatory filings as the clearest next milestones.

Sources

• prnewswire.com