Mitomics Announces U.S. Sales and Marketing Agreement with Sterling
Pathology
Diagnostic pathology firm to offer breakthrough prostate
cancer assay to urology market
THUNDER BAY,
ON, Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/
- Mitomics, a developer of mitochondrial DNA-based tests for early
disease detection, today announced it has entered into a sales and
marketing agreement for the Prostate Core Mitomic Test™
(PCMT™) with Sterling Pathology National Laboratories. Under the
agreement, Sterling Pathology National Laboratories, a leader in
diagnostic pathology services, will make PCMT available through
their team of sales representatives to urologists throughout
the United States, on a
non-exclusive basis. PCMT is one of the most accurate and safest
tests currently on the market for the detection of prostate
cancer.
"With their strong network of laboratories and
sales professionals, Sterling Pathology National Laboratories is an
ideal partner to offer PCMT to the urology market," said
Robert Poulter, President and CEO of
Mitomics. "There is a great need for a prostate cancer detection
assay such as PCMT, which provides an extremely precise and
painless way for urologists to eliminate false-negative biopsy
results and detect the disease at the earliest possible stage."
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed
cancer in males and the second-leading cause of cancer death in the
U.S. Every year, more than 230,000 American men are diagnosed with
prostate cancer, and more than 30,000 die from the disease. It is
estimated that well over 1 million prostate biopsies are performed
annually in the U.S. in efforts to diagnose prostate cancer.
Although approximately 70 percent of all initial prostate biopsies
are negative, it has been found that anywhere from 25 to 60 percent
of these are false negatives, and found to be positive on second or
subsequent biopsy. Prostate biopsies are painful and carry the risk
of serious infection. According to Johns
Hopkins University, 7 percent of patients who undergo
prostate biopsies suffer complications requiring hospital care
within 30 days of the procedure.
For patients whose initial prostate-biopsy
results come back negative, PCMT can often prevent the need for
multiple biopsies by eliminating false-negative results. Using
tissue samples from the existing biopsy, PCMT employs
mitochondrial-DNA analysis to accurately detect the biomarker
associated with prostate cancer as found in benign tissue. Even if
a biopsy needle misses a tumour, PCMT can still detect the presence
of cancer. The information from PCMT can assist in the diagnosis
and management of prostate cancer.
"With its ability to greatly reduce
false-negative results on prostate biopsies, the Prostate Core
Mitomic Test is an important step forward in the detection of
prostate cancer," said Michael
Okuniewski, Vice President, Sterling Pathology National
Laboratories. "By partnering with Mitomics to offer PCMT, Sterling
Pathology National Laboratories furthers its commitment to deliver
the very best diagnostic tools to urologists and their
patients."
About the Prostate Core Mitomic
Test™ (PCMT)
Conducted in Mitomics' CLIA-certified lab, PCMT uses existing
prostate-biopsy material to detect mitochondrial-DNA alterations
(called "deletions") that appear in benign tissue when a tumor is
present in adjacent tissue. These molecular alterations, known as
the cancerization field effect, enhance tumor detection in
instances where biopsy cores appear histologically benign because
they have failed to intersect tumor tissue. Initial prostate
biopsies can miss 25 to 60 percent of all cancers, leading to
false-negative results. PCMT provides the clinician with insights
far surpassing conventional screening methods. The concurrent high
sensitivity of 85% and negative predictive value of 92% contribute
unprecedented strength to this assay through its ability to
identify prostate cancer. For more information or to order PCMT,
please visit
http://www.mitomicsinc.com/prostate-core-mitomic-test/.
About Mitomics Inc.
Mitomics Inc. provides clinical solutions that deliver the earliest
possible detection of disease through mitochondrial DNA-based
testing. Using proprietary technology, called Mitomic Technology™,
the company has developed a platform on which it is developing an
array of molecular tests that address significant needs in
oncology. The company's flagship product, the Prostate Core Mitomic
Test™ (PCMT™), was launched in 2011, and is one of the most
accurate and safest tests currently on the market for prostate
cancer detection. PCMT is a simple test, conducted in Mitomics'
CLIA-certified lab, using existing biopsy tissue to identify the
biomarker associated with malignant cells in benign tissue.
Mitomics is currently using its platform of mtDNA testing to
develop similar tests for the detection of breast cancer, bladder
cancer, thyroid cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic
cancer, uterine cancer, and endometriosis. Mitomics is
headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario,
Canada. www.mitomicsinc.com.
About Sterling Pathology National
Laboratories
Sterling Pathology National Laboratories is dedicated to providing
the best diagnostic pathology services to meet the needs of MD
clinics and ambulatory surgical centers, for medical specialists
and specialty surgeons. Sterling Pathology National Laboratories'
goal is to provide the best in quality, service and value to its
client physicians and their patients. The laboratories are operated
by Sterling Pathology Medical Corporation, an organization by
experienced pathologists, dedicated to the best practice of
diagnostic consultation to specialist MDs for their outpatients.
Sterling Pathology National Laboratories' pathologists are superbly
qualified practitioners, backed up by exemplary support staff.
SOURCE Mitomics Inc.