Pharus-City of Hope Pact: Early Pancreatic Cancer Biomarkers

Pharus Diagnostics, an innovative healthcare company based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, announced an exclusive global license agreement with the City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, for its biomarker products to be used for the early diagnosis of people. . Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a common disease.

The license agreement is a milestone for Pharus Diagnostics in developing and commercializing a version of its OncoSweep liquid biopsy test for the early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. OncoSweep aims to improve the current standards for the early diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by providing a non-invasive, highly accurate solution in laboratory studies.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States within the next ten years, with a 5 year survival rate of approximately 8.5%. Short life expectancy is often due to advanced disease of the pancreas and placement in the abdominal cavity. The early stage of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma does not cause any symptoms, and the disease can be diagnosed.

City of Hope is a leader in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer research. The research, led by Ajay Goel, chair of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at the City of Hope, is ready for development and commercialization as a liquid biological test that surpasses the accuracy of the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma assay. The consensus covers a set of microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers that have been shown to have improved sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value.

"We are very excited about the products we will bring to market using our licensed technologies. Accurate diagnostic tools may improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, especially when surgical resection remains. Said Bowie Lee, president of Pharus Diagnostics.