Other R&D Projects
Benefiting from the genomic and proteomic research, which has and continues to produce a significant amount of information regarding chromosomal location, sequence and structure, DiagnoCure intends to apply the expertise accumulated over the past few years towards the development of new diagnostic tests for the detection and management of cancer.
Shc Proteins
The Shc protein-based tests acquired by DiagnoCure in 2007 have been validated in multiple clinical studies involving patients with five tumor types, including breast and colon, gastric, melanoma and prostate. Results have shown the tests to be strong indicators for a patient’s risk of disease recurrence, as well as predictors of response to certain cancer therapies, such as tamoxifen or traditional chemotherapy. The tests measure the level of activated tyrosine phosphorylated (PY) Shc protein and p66 Shc protein in tissue specimens. The Shc proteins are involved in a number of well documented cellular pathways that are correlated with tumor aggressiveness across many types of cancer, offering a broad opportunity for clinical testing.
Lung Cancer
Since February 2002, DiagnoCure’s R&D efforts have enabled the identification of several potential gene markers for early lung cancer detection.
In December 2004, the Company completed a pilot study based on a panel of molecular markers. This study demonstrated that the use of a molecular assay, in conjunction with cytology, had the potential to marginally reduce the number of false negatives, therefore, improving the accuracy of the initial diagnosis.
In 2006, DiagnoCure initiated a new collaboration with Gen-Probe to evaluate over a 12-month period the diagnostic utility of certain genetic markers acquired from Corixa by Gen-Probe.
Since the lung cancer project is not expected to realize benefits in the short or medium term, DiagnoCure has shifted its focus and R&D efforts on its newly acquired and promising tests for colorectal and breast cancers.