EDP Biotech develops a simple blood test for detecting early-stage colon cancer

Dec 16 2009

Medical researchers with EDP Biotech Corporation (EDP) have captured national attention with their revolutionary new technology for a simple blood test to detect early-stage colon cancer.

Following the success of its pre-clinical trials for the ColoMarker(TM) assay, EDP has filed a patent on the biomarker, CA11-19, and all aspects of its use. Via an inexpensive blood test, ColoMarker(TM) will detect colon cancer in its earliest, most curable stages.

"American Cancer Society statistics show that when colon cancer is detected in its early stages, more than 90% of patients will survive. If not detected until the later stages, fewer than 10% will survive. ColoMarker(TM) detects colon cancer in these early, highly curable stages," says Kevin Jones, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of EDP.

According to American Cancer Society statistics, fewer than 20% of Americans over the age of 50 who should be screened for colon cancer, actually are. With the use of ColoMarker(TM), a simple and inexpensive blood test, the number of people being screened would likely increase dramatically, leading to a decline in deaths due to colon cancer.

In pre-clinical trials, ColoMarker(TM) successfully detected the early stages (I, II, and III) of colon cancer. In tests of 2,370 blood samples, ColoMarker(TM) showed an accuracy rate of >99% for detecting colon cancer in these early stages. "ColoMarker(TM) could lead to a radical shift in the way we detect colon cancer," adds Dr. Jones.

National researchers who study colorectal cancer are closely monitoring emerging technologies such as ColoMarker(TM). Their findings are encouraging; just last week, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries released an optimistic report about the expected decline in deaths from colon cancer due to anticipated improvements in early screening methods.

Dr. Jones states, "The use of ColoMarker(TM) as a screening test could save tens of thousands of American lives every year and billions of dollars in healthcare costs." EDP Biotech is now moving forward expeditiously to get ColoMarker(TM) through the Food and Drug Administration clearance process.