On November 19, 2025 FYR Bio ("FYR"), a leader in liquid-biopsy precision medicine for neuro-oncology, reported a collaboration with NuvOx Therapeutics, Inc. ("NuvOx") supported by a two-year $1,976,897 Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) (Press release, FYR Bio, NOV 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234660104]). The grant, titled "Liquid Biopsy in Glioblastoma Treated with Chemoradiation and an Oxygen Therapeutic," will enable FYR to integrate its EV-based liquid-biopsy technology into NuvOx’s Phase IIb glioblastoma (GBM) trial.
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Under the award, FYR will apply its EV-Omics (EVO) platform and SPARCs enrichment technology to longitudinal blood samples collected in NuvOx’s RESTORE trial of NanO₂, a radiosensitizer designed to reverse tumor hypoxia. The collaboration will explore extracellular-vesicle (EV) biomarkers that reflect hypoxia biology, correlate with treatment exposure, and help clinicians differentiate pseudoprogression from true progression—a persistent challenge in GBM management.
Built on FYR’s neuro-oncology track record
FYR brings deep expertise in identifying EV-based biomarkers in neuro-oncology. By integrating its EVO Platform into the RESTORE trial, FYR aims to generate multiomic insights that inform patient management and de-risk NuvOx’s program and future trial design.
"Our goal is to help drug development companies de-risk their programs and increase the likelihood of clinical trial success, clarifying who benefits, when, and why," said Katie Havranek, Ph.D., Director of Research & Development at FYR. "Building on FYR’s neuro-oncology experience and prior insights in GBM, this collaboration explores EV biomarkers that may strengthen endpoints, refine patient selection, and guide the next phase of NuvOx’s clinical strategy."
Why this matters for patients and clinical trials
Distinguishing pseudoprogression from true progression: Pseudoprogression after chemoradiation is common in GBM, and can resemble true progression (tumor growth) on MRI. Better differentiation can reduce unnecessary treatment changes and improve patient care.
Addressing tumor hypoxia: Hypoxia drives radioresistance in GBM. NanO₂ is being tested to counteract this biology, while EV-based multiomic readouts may reveal who benefits most and how responses evolve through therapy.
About the collaboration scope
FYR will perform EV-based proteomic and transcriptomic analyses from plasma collected at prespecified timepoints to discover and evaluate hypoxia-related biomarkers and progression-state classifiers. These insights are intended to support NuvOx’s therapeutic development and inform potential future trial design and strategy.
NIH Acknowledgment
Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1R44CA298498-01A1. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.