China Medical Develops Predictor for Biologic Cancer Drug Success
China Medical Technologies (CMED) has developed two proprietary molecular diagnostic kits that detect abnormalities in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR abnormalities are important biomarkers for the biologic cancer drugs Iressa from AstraZeneca (AZN) and Tarceva from Genentech (DNA). China Medical expects to launch the new kits for its hospital customers in January 2009.
Iressa and Tarceva inhibit the EGFR gene located at 7p12. Of the patients that respond to Iressa and Tarceva, approximately 85% also have EGFR abnormalities, rendering the test a good predictor of whether the biologic drugs will be helpful in patients with NSCLC.
Some EGRF abnormalities can be identified using FISH (Fluorescent in situ Hybridization) technique to detect an increase in gene copy numbers; others can be detected using real-time PCR-based technique to analyze EGFR gene mutations. The China Medical kits contain both tests.
China Medical makes both FISH and ECLIA (Enhanced Chemiluminescence) in vitro tests.
Disclosure: none.
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