- May help avoid incorrect Breast Cancer diagnosis and management
TORONTO, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Predictive medicine company PreMD Inc. today announced that it has filed a provisional patent application that describes a new simplified method of quantifying immunohistochemical staining of biomarkers. The provisional patent application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark office. This application, based on PreMD’s existing colour measurement patents and patent applications, may facilitate more accurate and cost-effective detection of biomarkers in clinical specimens.
“With the news earlier this year of breast cancer patients being incorrectly diagnosed and treated based on erroneous interpretation of immunohistochemistry tests it immediately came to our minds that our existing intellectual property and expertise in colour measurement may be useful in improving this critical situation. Today I am pleased to say that we have made significant headway in developing this concept and have submitted a provisional patent application that may be used to improve the scoring of immunohistochemical reactions resulting in more accurate and cost-effective determination of test results” said Dr. Brent Norton, CEO of PreMD. “Biomarkers, detected in human tissue samples by immunohistochemistry, are playing an increasingly important role in prognosis and treatment decisions and the new methodology has the potential to be applicable to a broad range of such biomarkers. In the lab, with our limited budget, resources and test samples, we are getting accurate positive results in 90% of cases and full agreement in over 80% of all tests. To take this program to the next step we need to find a way, in these markets, to fund the development and testing,” he added.
About PreMD Inc.
PreMD Inc. is a leader in predictive medicine, dedicated to developing rapid, non-invasive tests for the early detection of life-threatening diseases. PreMD’s cardiovascular products include PREVU* POC and PREVU* LT, both non-invasive skin cholesterol tests. The Company’s cancer tests include ColorectAlert(TM), LungAlert(TM) and a breast cancer test. PreMD’s head office is located in Toronto, Ontario and its research and product development facility is at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. For more information about PreMD, please visit www.premdinc.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the successful development or marketing of the Company’s products, the competitiveness of the Company’s products if successfully commercialized, the lack of operating profit and availability of funds and resources to pursue R&D projects, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, product liability, reliance on third-party manufacturers, the ability of the Company to take advantage of business opportunities, uncertainties related to the regulatory process, and general changes in economic conditions. In addition, while the Company routinely obtains patents for its products and technology, the protection offered by the Company’s patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our competitors and there can be no guarantee of our ability to obtain or maintain patent protection for our products or product candidates.
Investors should consult the Company’s quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. PreMD is providing this information as of the date of this press release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Brent Norton, President & CEO, Tel: (416) 222-3449 ext 22, Email:
bnorton@premdinc.com