Simple Blood Test for Esophageal Cancer Could Reduce Invasive Endoscopy Procedures
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 22 Jun 2022 |
Barrett’s esophagus is a pre-malignant condition that occurs when the esophagus is damaged by acid reflux. Barrett’s esophagus is asymptomatic and associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer is an area of significant unmet medical need, with current screening requiring specialist medical expertise. Now, a simple blood test targeted at patients with Barrett’s esophagus could detect biomarkers for esophageal adenocarcinoma that were already validated in a 300 patient study earlier this year.
Proteomics International (Perth, Australia) has secured an exclusive worldwide license to commercialize biomarkers that can test for esophageal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of esophageal cancer. The license agreement between Proteomics and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (Queensland, Australia) was signed following a partnership between the two organizations to improve detection of the disease.
The QIMR Berghofer intellectual property in the biomarkers is licensed exclusively to Proteomics and will allow the company to use the biomarkers discovered by QIMR Berghofer researchers to develop and commercialize a simple blood test for esophageal adenocarcinoma. The license agreement comes after Proteomics and QIMR Berghofer validated the biomarkers in a joint study of more than 300 patients earlier this year. Proteomics will now undertake additional studies to confirm the diagnostic performance of the potential new blood test, which will take approximately six months and would be targeted at patients with Barrett’s esophagus.
“These at-risk patients are currently screened with invasive and costly endoscopy procedures. Instead, this panel of biomarkers - or protein ‘fingerprints’ in the blood - can detect the early stages of esophageal adenocarcinoma which we hope to do using a simple blood test,” said Dr. Richard Lipscombe, managing director of Proteomics International.
Related Links:
QIMR Berghofer
Proteomics International
Latest Molecular Diagnostics News
- New DNA Origami Technique to Advance Disease Diagnosis
- Ultrasound-Aided Blood Testing Detects Cancer Biomarkers from Cells
- New Respiratory Syndromic Testing Panel Provides Fast and Accurate Results
- New Synthetic Biomarker Technology Differentiates Between Prior Zika and Dengue Infections
- Novel Biomarkers to Improve Diagnosis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes
- RNA-Powered Molecular Test to Help Combat Early-Age Onset Colorectal Cancer
- Advanced Blood Test to Spot Alzheimer's Before Progression to Dementia
- Multi-Omic Noninvasive Urine-Based DNA Test to Improve Bladder Cancer Detection
- First of Its Kind NGS Assay for Precise Detection of BCR::ABL1 Fusion Gene to Enable Personalized Leukemia Treatment
- Urine Test to Revolutionize Lyme Disease Testing
- Simple Blood Test Could Enable First Quantitative Assessments for Future Cerebrovascular Disease
- New Genetic Testing Procedure Combined With Ultrasound Detects High Cardiovascular Risk
- Blood Samples Enhance B-Cell Lymphoma Diagnostics and Prognosis
- Blood Test Predicts Knee Osteoarthritis Eight Years Before Signs Appears On X-Rays
- Blood Test Accurately Predicts Lung Cancer Risk and Reduces Need for Scans
- Unique Autoantibody Signature to Help Diagnose Multiple Sclerosis Years before Symptom Onset