Dunedin-based biotech company Pacific Edge Biotechnology says it has reached a "significant commercial milestone" after the successful completion of a prognostic clinical trial in Europe of a product to aid ongoing colorectal cancer treatments.
The company's first commercial product is a bladder cancer diagnostic assay, Cxbladder, a fast, non-invasive test which measures the activity of five genes from a small sample of the patient's urine to accurately diagnose bladder cancer.
The European-trialled colorectal treatment is a test available for patients already diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Samples of tissue taken during surgery are tested to predict the risk of relapse and to help determine if the patient requires more treatment.
Pacific Edge's chief scientific officer, Dr Parry Guilford, said the prognostic test would identify patients whose colorectal cancer was aggressive and likely to recur after surgery, and who would benefit from additional therapy.
Pacific Edge chief executive David Darling said the conclusion of the European clinical trial "was a significant commercial milestone for Pacific Edge".
"The clinical trial results showed a successful outcome that enables patients diagnosed with UICC stage two or UICC stage three colorectal cancer and with a high risk of disease progression to be identified and treated more appropriately," he said in a statement.
Pacific Edge's European licensee, Signature Diagnostics, completed the clinical trial.
