Agreement Signed for Distribution of Prostate Cancer Antibody

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF; Rockville, MD, USA) has signed a licensing agreement with Biocare Medical (Concord, CA, USA) for a prostate cancer test.

The agreement is for the exclusive worldwide sales and distribution rights for the immunohistochemistry of an antibody designed to detect tumor prevalence in prostate cancer patients. The antibody was developed at the Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR; Rockville, MD, USA).

The assay uses a mouse monoclonal that can detect the presence of the transcriptional regulator v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) proteins that are linked to cells capable of causing tumor growth. The monoclonal is called the CPDR ERG-MAb and has a high degree of specificity in 50% to 70% of all patients with prostate cancer. Scientists using the assay were able to identify the presence of ERG proteins with an unprecedented 99.9% accuracy. Detecting prostate tumor cells in pathologic specimens will aid in diagnostics, prognostics and patient monitoring.

The CPDR ERG-MAb provided the first insights into the ERG protein expression features in the prostate gland, indicating a strong 97% correlation between the presence of ERG-positive prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and ERG-positive carcinoma. Scientists in the prostate cancer field have established ERG protein activation by recurrent gene fusions as one of the key genomic defects in prostate cancer. The protein is a promising diagnostic marker for identifying prostatic adenocarcinomas and distinguishing it from non-neoplastic prostate and other adenocarcinomas. The antibody may also be used for detecting ERG protein alterations in other cancers, including endothelial cell derived tumors and acute myelogenous leukemia.

Related Links:
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation
Biocare Medical
Center for Prostate Disease Research