Yahoo Finance

Nashville, TN, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IMAC Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: BACK) (“IMAC Holdings” or the “Company”) has launched Ignite Proteomics LLC (“Ignite”), its new subsidiary dedicated to helping doctors select the most effective cancer treatments based on protein-level insights. This move addresses a growing need for better, faster ways to personalize therapy in breast cancer and beyond.

Why Proteins Matter – Beyond Genomics

Although genomics (gene-based) testing has become common, patients and providers find it has not fully delivered on the promise of personalized care. One reason is that genetics only reveal potential – the blueprint of the disease – while proteins show what is happening inside cancer cells right now. Ignite is poised to disrupt the multi-billion-dollar genomic testing market. The available market in the test’s current clinically approved indication is $600M.

Proteins drive cell behavior and are the direct targets of many new cancer drugs, especially antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and immunotherapies. Without measuring key proteins, standard genomic tests can miss crucial signals that predict how a tumor will respond – or fail to respond – to treatment.

Ignite’s multi-protein test addresses this gap. By measuring a range of proteins in a single sample, it offers a richer view of a tumor’s activity and vulnerability to specific therapies. Several of the assay’s important novel biomarkers are protected by licensed patents, ensuring a unique platform for guiding advanced treatment choices.

“Gene tests alone don’t tell us enough about how to pick the right therapies,” said Faith Zaslavsky, CEO of IMAC Holdings and Ignite Proteomics. “Proteins are what guide a cancer’s behavior and drug response. Our test focuses on these real-time signals, so doctors can better select complex treatments right from the start.”

A Better Approach to Modern Cancer Treatments

Today’s advanced therapies—from new ADCs to immunotherapies—are more complex than traditional chemo. Standard “one-marker” tests often fail to identify which patients can truly benefit. Ignite’s test reviews multiple critical proteins at once, helping physicians:

• Spot lower levels of drug targets that standard methods might overlook.

• Determine whether an immunotherapy is likely to work—or if a patient would do better with another option.

• Avoid the costly and time-consuming trial-and-error approach that can delay effective treatment.

Looking Ahead: Partnerships & Growth

• Active Collaborations: Ignite is working with leading cancer centers to expand clinical evidence and incorporate its test into more routine care.

• Expanding Impact: The test’s ability to measure what genes alone cannot detect is expected to fill a major gap in personalized oncology.

• Focus on ADCs & Immunotherapy: With more complex drugs rolling out each year, physicians need deeper insights into a tumor’s real-time behavior—and that is exactly where Ignite’s protein-level approach excels.

• Standard of care: Ignite’s protein analysis has generated and is expanding clinical data needed to be included in treatment guidelines for breast cancer.