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Evaluating the CellSearch CMMC Assay for Non-Invasive Longitudinal MRD Monitoring

Powell, S.; Bui, T.; Gullipalli, D.; LaCava, M.; Jones, S. M.; Hansen, T.; Kuhr, F.; Swat, W.; Simandi, Z.

2026-04-02 hematology
10.64898/2026.03.28.26349025 medRxiv
Show abstract

Current clinical management of multiple myeloma (MM) relies on bone marrow (BM) biopsies for minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment. While BM biopsies are the gold standard, their invasive nature and potential to miss extramedullary or patchy disease necessitate sensitive, non-invasive liquid biopsy platforms. In this study, we evaluated the analytical performance of the CellSearch CMMC assay to determine its utility for deep-MRD monitoring. Using a standard 4 mL whole blood input, the assay achieves a WBC-normalized sensitivity of 2.45 x 10-7, supported by a limit of quantitation of 5 cells per run. Given this high analytical sensitivity, the assay provides a robust negative predictive value, rendering false-negative findings highly unlikely in populations with detectable peripheral disease. These findings characterize the CellSearch CMMC assay as a highly sensitive, analytically validated platform for non-invasive deep-MRD level longitudinal surveillance monitoring. When integrated into a clinical workflow that accounts for its specificity profile, the platform offers a patient-friendly complement to serial BM biopsies, with the potential to reduce their frequency in appropriate clinical contexts.

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