Plus Therapeutics Launches New Diagnostic Tool, CNSide Cancer CSF Assay In Texas

Plus Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage pharma company specializing in radiotherapeutics for CNS cancers, has announced that its subsidiary, CNSide Diagnostics, LLC, will begin the commercial rollout of its CNSide CSF assay platform in Texas starting August 2025. The initial deployment will focus on leading National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers known for high patient volumes and prior use of CNSide.

“The CNSide assay is an invaluable diagnostic tool, relevant in providing important guidance in monitoring patient disease progression and in helping define patient treatment,” said Michael Youssef, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Hematology and Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Having been a prior user of the CNSide assay, I look forward to the relaunch of this important patient management tool by CNSide.”

The CNSide platform is a proprietary cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assay developed to detect and monitor tumor cells that have metastasized to the central nervous system in patients with carcinomas or melanomas. The test addresses the unmet need in diagnosing leptomeningeal metastases (LM), a complication seen in up to 30% of adult cancer patients, often leading to a poor prognosis due to diagnostic and treatment challenges.

Institutions targeted in the initial commercial phase include MD Anderson, UT Southwestern, Mays Cancer Center, Baylor Scott & White, and Texas Oncology. The CNSide test offers a more sensitive and comprehensive approach than traditional diagnostics, supporting earlier intervention and more personalized care in patients with CNS metastases.