A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to interview Ronen Tamir, Chief Commercialization Officer, at Rosetta regarding their recently released tests for tumors found in lung cancer to identify cancer of the unknown primary.
Just as with the lung cancer tests, the company is using microRNA biomarkers, obtained from a simple blood draw that will accurately differentiate colorectal cancer patients from healthy individuals. The test results are showing 91% sensitivity and 72% specificity.
With the acquisition of Parkway Clinical Labs, Rosetta has positioned itself with a location in Philadelphia that will be geographically friendly to many hospitals and universities on the east coast and will serve the entire nation and the rest of the world. The colon test should prove to be a screening test for colon cancer and will eventually encourage patients to consider and follow up with colonoscopies as well. BD
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania and REHOVOT Israel, January 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosetta Genomics Ltd. (NASDAQ: ROSG) and collaborators, today unveiled initial data relating to the company's colorectal cancer screening diagnostics test, miRscreen(TM) colon, which is based on a simple blood draw, and is expected to be released next year. The company's scientists and collaborators have identified microRNA biomarkers in serum, which have the potential to accurately differentiate colorectal cancer patients from healthy individuals. The data is being presented at the ASCO 2009 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, in San Francisco.
"The initial data presented by Rosetta is very significant" said Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel laureate and chairman of Rosetta's scientific advisory board. "Rosetta's scientists and their collaborators, have for the first time, identified in serum, potential microRNA biomarkers of colorectal cancer. If treated early, 90% of colon cancer patients survive. The humane, medical, and financial impact of an effective, non-invasive colon cancer screening test can not be overstated."
Over 90 million Americans are at risk for colon cancer, a disease that kills 50,000 Americans every year.[1]
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This is great news, hopefully a new test will be available soon.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the relative accuracy is compared to conventional colonoscopy.