Miraculins partners with Fox Chase
Miraculins partners with Fox Chase in colorectal cancer
2006-06-13 09:26 ET - News Release
Mr. Christopher Moreau reports
MIRACULINS TO COLLABORATE WITH FOX CHASE CANCER CENTER TO VALIDATE COLORECTAL MARKERS
Miraculins Inc. has signed a collaboration agreement with Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia to further the development of Miraculins's colorectal cancer diagnostic project.
Miraculins recently announced that it was able to correctly identify cancer positives and those without cancer with a sensitivity and specificity of greater than 80 per cent and 80 per cent respectively, in its study to verify the colorectal biomarkers acquired in its Europroteome intellectual property purchase. This agreement with Fox Chase Cancer Center will allow Miraculins to begin the validation phase of its research work, which is the next key step in the development of the colorectal diagnostic test. Once this step is successfully completed, Miraculins will begin to implement its commercialization strategy for the colorectal diagnostic.
Under the terms of the agreement, Fox Chase Cancer Center will provide a significant number of relevant biological samples, which Miraculins will then process leveraging its internal research expertise and BEST platform. The samples provided by Fox Chase Cancer Center are donated by patients and provided to Miraculins without any information about the patients' identities.
"We are very pleased to be participating in this study with Miraculins to accelerate research into the early detection of colorectal cancer," stated Dr. Andrew K. Godwin, PhD, director of the biosample repository at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "There is a great need to improve the detection of cancer early in its development -- at a time when it is more amenable to current therapies. Our mission at Fox Chase is to reduce the burden of human cancers by preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic means. In this regard, the work that Miraculins is doing to develop diagnostic markers of colorectal cancer could have an important impact on this disease. We are also grateful to our patients whose donations of samples allow us to make significant advancements in medical research."
"It is rewarding to watch our colorectal project advance so rapidly," commented Dr. Jim Charlton, president of Miraculins Inc. "We hold Fox Chase in the highest regard in terms of its quality and commitment to both patient care and broad based clinical research, and we are extremely pleased to be working with them on this project. This agreement is an important step in capitalizing on the expertise of both parties and developing a test that addresses a significant unmet need by improving the ability to diagnose and care for patients."
Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in North America, with over 150,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The American Cancer Society recommends annual screening for colorectal cancer for all persons over 50 years of age. Current diagnostic methods for colorectal cancer are predominantly image based, invasive, and expensive, resulting in low compliance in the general population. The diagnosis of colorectal cancer could be dramatically improved with the availability of reliable biomarker based tests. The agreement with Fox Chase is also another important step for Miraculins in continuing to build a strong network of international clinical research institutions to facilitate the development of its growing pipeline of cancer biomarkers.
About Dr. Andrew K. Godwin
Dr. Godwin obtained his doctorate in molecular biology in 1989 from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) faculty as an assistant member in 1992, and was promoted to an associate member in 1995 and to member in 2001. Dr. Godwin is the director of the Clinical Molecular Genetic Laboratory and the director of the Biosample Repository at FCCC. Both are CAP-accredited and CLIA-approved facilities, the former focusing on the identification and characterization of cancer susceptibility genes and the latter on assembling large cohorts of individuals affected and unaffected with cancer. He has published numerous papers on the topic of cancer research and his ongoing research interests include improving the understanding of the etiology of several types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, and gastrointestinal stromal tumour and assessing molecular-targeted therapies for the treatment of these diseases. Dr. Godwin has no financial interest in Miraculins.
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