Blood-Based Molecular Test Improves Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer

A convenient blood test can be ordered by a physician during a routine medical checkup to accurately and reliably detect both adenomatous polyps and early stages of colorectal cancer.

Mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are particularly responsive to growing adenomatous polyps and colorectal carcinomas and determining the expression of 29 genes in PBMCs provides a telltale sign of the early stages of colorectal cancer.


The new molecular blood test for the detection of colorectal cancer and precancerous lesions such as adenomatous polyps is called Colox; it has been approved for sale in Europe, and has been launched commercially in Switzerland. Colox is available as a Laboratory Developed Test and is highly suited to standard medical laboratory workflow and is also available as a Conformité Européenne (CE) registered kit.

The Colox test was originally developed by Diagnoplex SA (Epalinges, Switzerland) and represents a new generation of cancer diagnostic tests based on the response of the organism against the tumor. The molecular diagnostics company Novigenix SA (Epalinges, Switzerland) announced it has acquired Colox. Gene expression data are interpreted by Novigenix's proprietary algorithm which generates the Colox test report. This algorithm is based on classifier combinations derived from mathematical analytical methods that underpin the reliability of the test.

Colox has been tested in a multicenter clinical study at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (Lausanne, Switzerland). Gian Dorta, MD, a professor who led the study said, “Colox accurately and reliably detects both adenomatous polyps and early stages of colorectal cancer with a convenient blood test that can be ordered as part of a routine medical checkup. As a result Colox has the potential to dramatically increase screening compliance and reduce the mortality rate from this deadly disease.”

Brian B Hashemi, PhD MBA, Executive Chairman of Novigenix, said, “Our vision is to support physicians and the healthcare community in significantly reducing cancer mortality through the early diagnosis and intervention of colorectal cancer. We are committed to making Colox available to physicians and patients across Switzerland, followed by expansion in other European countries. Colorectal cancer is today the third most lethal cancer, but can be largely prevented if detected early by an accurate, reliable, and convenient test such as Colox.”

Related Links:
Diagnoplex SA 
Novigenix SA
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire