Evogen Studies Presented At 2016 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting Highlight Importance Of Improved Diagnostic Tools For Epilepsy

PHILADELPHIA and HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Evogen, Inc., a leader in proteomics and genomics-based testing for improved diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, today reported on two diagnostic studies that are being presented today at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES). The studies were conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions in collaboration with Evogen. One of the studies¹ assessed the utility of electroencephalograms (EEGs) for the diagnosis of epilepsy. The second study² assessed the performance of EvoScore^TM START, Evogen's new biomarker-based blood test designed to accurately distinguish epileptic seizures from other events.

The accurate diagnosis of epilepsy remains a challenge, as current methods are largely subjective and are cumbersome and expensive, with sub-optimal accuracy. Comprehensive patient assessments by epileptologists remain the gold standard for diagnosing the condition. In the first study, researchers assessed the prospective sensitivity of EEGs, one of the few objective diagnostic tools currently available for epilepsy. They found that the sensitivity of EEGs in identifying epilepsy events in patients was 27%, and in aggregate EEGs provided some diagnostic value for up to 32% of new patients.

Evogen is developing advanced diagnostics for neurological conditions such as epilepsy. The second study assessed the performance of EvoScore START, a new approach to the diagnosis of epileptic seizures that analyzes the ratio and concentration of key protein biomarkers in a standard blood test format. The goal is to determine definitively whether a neurological event is in fact an epileptic seizure. Only an estimated 15% of suspected seizure-like events are actually epilepsy-related. The study results showed that EvoScore START distinguished epileptic seizures from other neurological events with excellent sensitivity and specificity of 90% or more.

Todd Wallach, president and chief executive officer of Evogen, commented, "We believe that our innovative biomarker-based blood test has the potential to help revolutionize the diagnosis of epilepsy, a common and potentially disabling condition that currently lacks objective and reproducible diagnostic tools. We welcome the opportunity to present these studies conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania to the leading neurology and epilepsy clinicians attending the AES meeting."

Peter Crino, MD, PhD, is currently chair of the department of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a co-author of both studies. His former laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine conducted key studies of EvoScore START. Dr. Crino noted, "Diagnosis of epilepsy is too often imprecise and difficult. Accurate, objective and accessible new tools such as EvoScore START could help speed epilepsy diagnosis and treatment and facilitate the conduct of new drug clinical trials, while also showing that many of the people who are suspected of having suffered an epileptic seizure do not in fact have epilepsy."

The 2016 AES Annual Meeting: is being held in Houston, Texas from Dec. 2-5, 2016.

1 AES Poster 3.156
EEG Has Some Diagnostic Value in a Third of New Patients Who Present to an Epilepsy Center: A Prospective Study
Dec. 5, 2016; 8:00-10:00am

2 AES Poster 3.089
Predictive Blood Test for Seizures: Post-hoc Assessment of Plasma Biomarkers
Dec. 5, 2016; 8:00-10:00am

Evogen representatives will be available to discuss both EvoScore START and Evogen's neurology genomic tests during the 2016 AES meeting at Booth #341.

About Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 65 million people worldwide and more than 2 million people in the U.S., where it is the fourth most common neurological disorder. Although epilepsy may be linked to factors such as health conditions, race and age, it can develop in anyone at any age. Approximately one in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. There are many different types of epilepsy but the main characteristic of the condition is recurrent seizures. Seizures are classified by the pattern of onsetpartial seizures start in one part of the brain and generalized seizures are characterized by widespread involvement of the whole brain.

About Evogen                                                                                                                                                    

Evogen, Inc. is a leading developer of diagnostic, detection and sample collection solutions with successful products deployed worldwide. The company is currently focused on achieving leadership in proteomics and genomics-based testing for improved diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, offering rapid, accurate and cost effective precision medicine solutions for optimal patient outcomes. Evogen's EvoScore^TM START biomarker-based blood test has the potential to help revolutionize the diagnosis of epilepsy. In peer-reviewed clinical studies, EvoScore START demonstrated sensitivity and specificity of 90% or more. It will be available in target markets in 2017. Evogen's EvoScore Genomics comprehensive genomic testing for improved management of epilepsy and other neurological disorders will be launched to neurologists in mid-2017. For more information, visit www.evogen.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evogen-studies-presented-at-2016-aes-annual-meeting-highlight-importance-of-improved-diagnostic-tools-for-epilepsy-300372669.html

SOURCE Evogen, Inc.