BOSTON, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Allegro Diagnostics, an emerging leader in the field of molecular diagnostics for lung cancer, has announced publication of a "clinicogenomic" model for lung cancer diagnosis in the inaugural edition of Cancer Prevention Research, the newest journal from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), which is devoted exclusively to cancer prevention. The results of the study were published by a multi-disciplinary team from Boston University. The company will be launching a clinical trial in the U.S. and Europe to validate the test featured in the publication.
"Importantly, the clinicogenomic model performs better than either clinical or gene expression factors alone," said Avrum Spira, MD, MSc, a co-author of the study and co-founder of Allegro Diagnostics. "The results also show that the gene expression biomarker, which we published in 2007, is independent from clinical risk factors for disease. The two factors combined thus provide diagnostic synergy."
"One of the important findings from this study is that the clinicogenomic model using Allegro's genetic biomarker performed best in those patients who were considered most difficult to diagnose by a physician panel," said Dan Rippy, President and CEO of Allegro Diagnostics. "Also, given the fairly low detection rate of bronchoscopy for stage I lung cancer at 15 to 20 percent, a clinicogenomic model using our gene expression biomarker has the potential to dramatically increase the rate of detection for early stage disease when it has the greatest likelihood of being cured."
"We believe a diagnostic model that combines a gene biomarker test result with clinical factors can aid physicians in making an earlier diagnosis," said Jerome Brody, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of Allegro Diagnostics. "We are excited about launching a clinical trial to further validate this test, which we believe will become an important tool in the diagnostic process."
The complete article (ASpira et. al. (March 31, 2008) Cancer Prev Res 2008, 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-08-0011), can be accessed at: http://www.allegrodx.com/docs/Cancer%20Prevention%20Research%20Clinical%20Geno mic%20Factors%203.2008%20v1.pdf (Due to the length of the URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this link into your browser).
About Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the industrialized world, responsible for more than 1.3 million deaths per year worldwide. In the U.S., lung cancer kills more people than colon, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers combined. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 200,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and more than 160,000 deaths occur annually from the disease. While lung cancer can be cured by surgery if caught in the early stages, 65-80% of lung cancer patients present with late stage disease. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer patients is roughly 15%, a rate that has remained unchanged for several decades.
About Allegro Diagnostics
Allegro Diagnostics was founded in 2006 to develop and commercialize molecular diagnostics in lung cancer and other epithelial diseases using proprietary gene expression technology originating within the Pulmonary Center at the Boston University School of Medicine. The company will initially focus on more accurate diagnosis of early stage lung cancer. Allegro Diagnostics is privately funded by Kodiak Venture Partners, Catalyst Health Ventures, and Boston University. For more information, visit the website of Allegro Diagnostics at: www.allegrodx.com.
About Kodiak Venture Partners
Founded in 1999, Kodiak manages three funds totaling $676M and targets companies in North America. Kodiak focuses on seed and early stage investments in emerging communications/wireless, semiconductor/equipment, software/services, internet/new media, and life technology companies. Kodiak's partners are successful high-technology business entrepreneurs who take a hands-on approach to building market leaders. Previous Kodiak investments have included ALIS Corporation, Fluxion Biosciences, and Groove Mobile. For more information on Kodiak Venture Partners, visit: www.kodiakvp.com.
About Catalyst Health Ventures
Catalyst Health Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm targeting technology solutions applied within the health care and life science industries. At the core of its strategy is a committed, hands-on approach to working with management and syndicate partners to build successful companies. Our disciplined investment process leverages both intellectual and financial capital to originate deals, cultivate opportunities, and realize the full potential of emerging ventures in the health care and life science marketplace. For more information on Catalyst Health Ventures, visit: www.catalysthealthventures.com.
SOURCE Allegro Diagnostics, Inc.
