EDP Biotech Corporation: New Assay Detects 100 Percent of Stage I, II and III Colon Cancers in Pre-Clinical Trials

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking a major milestone in the early detection and management of colon cancer, EDP Biotech Corporation (EDP), a developer of immunodiagnostic tests for humans and animals, announced today that its ColoMarker(TM) assay achieved 100 percent detection rate for colon cancers presented at stages I through III in pre-clinical trials. ColoMarker is the first assay of its kind to enable both early detection screening and patient management capabilities, presenting the potential to save time, money and, most importantly, lives.

Colon cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in the U.S., surpassed only by lung cancer. In 2009, nearly 150,000 new colon cancer cases will be confirmed and more than 55,000 people are projected to die from the disease.

ColoMarker's Preliminary Potential

The pre-clinical trials, conducted from January through August 2009, evaluated 2,370 freshly drawn serum samples. ColoMarker, which uses a proprietary biomarker developed by EDP, had an overall accuracy rate of 93 percent.

"The FOB test is not 'patient friendly,' meaning that most people either refuse to use the test or cannot collect the sample effectively," continued Jones. "ColoMarker is the first 'blood-based' assay that will simplify the whole process for both patients and doctors."

EDP has applied for patents on the reagents and assay, and is moving toward next steps for the commercialization of the test.

*The reported results for the FOB test were lower than seen in other studies. The patients used for the study may have caused this. The false positive rate on FOB for patients referred to a GI specialist is higher than seen for the general population. Even for this problematical patient set, the ColoMarker assay provided significantly better performance.

EDP Biotech Corporation


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