DiagnoCure, True to its Commitment
We, at DiagnoCure, are deeply committed to the belief that winning the battle against cancer will require an accurate and timely diagnosis! Our mission and our focus are based on this commitment and drive our strategic actions.
Our mission: detection and management of cancer
DiagnoCure’s mission is to be the leading developer and provider of high-value diagnostics for the detection and management of cancer.
Our focus: molecular diagnostics
The mapping of the human genome is an accomplishment of unparalleled significance in the field of medicine, which will forever change the way disease is diagnosed and treated. Building on this body of knowledge, DiagnoCure’s product offering is focused on molecular tests, which detect irregular gene or protein activity patterns associated with cancer.
Molecular diagnostic tests will increasingly be used for cancer screening, diagnosis, staging, therapy selection, and relapse monitoring. It represents a market forecasted to grow at greater than 30 percent per year.
The Company is convinced that diagnostic products are an integral part of disease management because they provide greater possibilities for patient survival and lower treatment costs. Moreover, it believes that the benefits of focussing on the development of diagnostic products include shorter time to market, decreased development costs and the ability to capitalize more rapidly on the discovery of new biomarkers.
DiagnoCure’s competitive advantages lie with its ability to transform cutting edge discoveries into user-friendly products having superior clinical value and that are commercially viable. DiagnoCure excels in building partnerships with academic and commercial institutions and provides an essential pathway to commercialization.
Our history at a glance
Founded in 1994, DiagnoCure commercialized its first diagnostic test, ImmunoCyt™ / uCyt+™ for bladder cancer, in Europe in 1998. The product obtained clearance from the FDA for commercialization in the United States in 2000.
uPM3™, DiagnoCure's second diagnostic product, was based on measuring the Company’s proprietary, prostate-specific PCA3 gene expression. This assay was first sold in 2003 in the United States in an ASR (Analyte Specific Reagents) format. The same year, the Company signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Gen-Probe Inc. to develop and broadly commercialize the diagnostic applications of the PCA3 marker. At the end of 2005, Gen-Probe made available its PCA3 test based on their innovative platform in ASR format to selected laboratories in the United States. In addition, the test has met CE Mark requirements for commercialization in Europe where it was launched in November 2006.
In December 2006, the Company, after an intensive review of its business strategy, refocused all of its efforts and resources on molecular diagnostics.
On April 30, 2007, the Company secured exclusive worldwide diagnostic rights to the GCC marker for colorectal cancer. Later in 2007, DiagnoCure also acquired Catalyst Oncology and its high-value proprietary prognostic tests based on the Shc proteins for breast, colon and potentially other cancers.
DiagnoCure intends to pursue its M&A strategy, to partner with key organizations and key researchers, and to leverage its knowledge in nucleic acid technology and experience in test development, in order to take advantage of the growing potential of molecular diagnostics for the management of cancer.
DiagnoCure has been listed on the Toronto (initially Montreal) stock exchange since 1996.