Cancer Diagnostic Products Launched in the United States

A specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company launched three new cancer diagnostic products in the United States.

The three products are ProOnc TumorSource Dx, ProOnc Squamous Dx, and ProOnc Mesothelioma Dx. Each of these tests is based on recently developed, sensitive microRNA technology.

ProOnc TumorSource Dx identifies the tissue-of-origin of a metastatic tumor. The test identifies 25 different tumor types, including colon, liver, brain, breast, kidney, lung, ovary, pancreas, prostate, and testis, and measures the expression level of 48 microRNA biomarkers.

ProOnc TumorSource Dx uses a classifier to assign a primary site to the cancer sample based on the microRNA expression in the tumor and may become a critical tool in the detection of cancer of unknown primary (CUP).

ProOnc Mesothelioma Dx is a molecular diagnostic test that uses microRNA to differentiate malignant pleural mesothelioma from peripheral adenocarcinoma of the lung and metastatic carcinomas involving the lung and pleura.

Prometheus (San Diego, CA, USA) acquired exclusive U.S. rights to ProOnc TumorSource Dx, ProOnc Squamous Dx, and ProOnc Mesothelioma Dx from Rosetta Genomics (Rehovot, Israel; Philadelphia, PA, USA) in April 2009. Prometheus and Rosetta are developing two new microRNA-based gastroenterology tests.

"MicroRNAs are small, noncoding sequences of RNA that are critically important in many biological and pathological processes," said Harvey Pass, M.D., professor of cardiothoracic surgery and director of the division of thoracic surgery and thoracic oncology at the New York University Langone Medical Center (New York, NY, USA) and its NYU Cancer Institute. "The sensitivity and specificity of microRNA-based diagnostics should enable clinicians to differentiate particular cancer tissues with increased confidence, which may ultimately guide medical oncologists to deliver the safest and most efficacious therapy for their patients."

Prometheus Laboratories Inc. develops and commercializes pharmaceutical and diagnostic products to help physicians individualize patient care. The company applies the principles of personalized medicine to the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and applies these principles to oncology.

Rosetta Genomics is a molecular diagnostics company advancing minimally invasive molecular tests based on its proprietary microRNAs, and platform technologies.

Related Links:
Prometheus
Rosetta Genomics
New York University Langone Medical Center