Development of Blood Based Screening Test for Breast Cancer
Proceeding on Schedule
NEWTON, Mass., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Matritech, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMPS), a
company specializing in products designed to detect, manage and screen for
cancer, announced today that its scientists had detected the presence of
nuclear matrix proteins (NMP) in the blood of women even at the earliest
stages of breast cancer, but absent in the blood of normal women as well as
those with fibroadenoma, a benign breast disease. Using its proprietary
specimen preparation and mass spectrometry procedures to test the blood from
each woman, the scientific team led by Brynmor Watkins, Ph.D., confirmed the
presence of NMPs in the blood from women with breast cancer, at all stages of
the disease. The scientists have selected one of the NMPs, NMP66, for further
development and clinical trials of a test kit for use by oncologists in the
routine detection and monitoring of women with, or at risk for, breast cancer.
The company has now tested more than 50 blood specimens and found NMP66 to be
specific to breast cancer, without exception.
This NMP66 is protected by claims contained in three patents issued to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and licensed exclusively to Matritech.
The Company recently filed three additional patents claiming the use of this,
and other NMPs, in the management of women with breast cancer.
Matritech scientists determined the identity and partial amino sequence of
NMP66. It is a member of a class of NMPs, which regulate the splicing of pre-
mRNA, a critical event in the development of all eukaryotic cells, including
those that go on to become malignant.
"We are extremely pleased to announce that our development plans for an
early-detection blood test for breast cancer are on schedule," said David L.
Corbet, President and Chief Operating Officer of Matritech. "We continue to
believe that nuclear matrix proteins (NMPs), our platform technology, are the
only proteins clinically proven to be cancer-specific. Therefore, we are
gratified that our breast cancer-specific protein discovery has been verified
as an NMP in the lab. This confirmation of our NMP technology strengthens
our previous patent position. However, the Company has filed three additional
patent applications covering the breast cancer-specific protein and its
discovery method.
"When breast cancer is discovered at its earliest stage, the five-year
survival rate is 97 percent. Therefore, a blood test that would help
physicians facilitate early detection of the disease would be extremely
valuable," Corbet added. "Further testing and development of this breast
cancer blood test is therefore a high priority for Matritech going forward."
"These preliminary results are very encouraging," said Roy Beveridge,
M.D., a medical oncologist at Fairfax Hospital (Fairfax, Va.) who has
published extensively on the subject of breast-tumor markers. Dr. Beveridge
has provided some of the breast cancer specimens for the Matritech study.
"If a test were to detect early-stage breast cancer, it could be used as a
screen and would be used widely throughout the world," added Dr. Beveridge.
Detection of these breast cancer markers in blood was accomplished using a
novel approach for cancer marker detection, mass spectrometry, a technique
which the Company believes is immediately applicable to other cancer tests it
is developing. Mass spectrometry techniques for measuring the elevation of
specific proteins in blood is expected to improve the accuracy of the tests in
development by Matritech as well as expedite the introduction of second
generation, blood-based cancer diagnostic tests to clinical laboratories
worldwide. The clinical formats of Matritech's tests will include industry
standard antibody-based immunoassays compatible with existing clinical
laboratory instrumentation.
Matritech's lead product, the NMP22(R) Test Kit, was cleared in 1996 by
the U.S. FDA for monitoring patients who have previously been treated for
bladder cancer, and has been recently cleared for screening individuals at
risk for bladder cancer. NMP22 is also approved for detection and management
of bladder cancer in China and in Japan, and is in use in Europe. NMP22 has
been reported by clinical investigators, such as those from Massachusetts
General Hospital and Kaiser Permanente, to be the most accurate urine-based
bladder cancer test on the market. In addition to the NMP22 Test Kit, the
Company has developed the NMP179(TM) cervical cancer test, the NuMA(TM) Colon
Cancer Test Kit, and has a prostate cancer product under development.
Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
Any forward looking statements related to the Company's expectations
regarding the performance, timing or extent of market acceptance, and
regulatory approvals of the Company's breast cancer test are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's
control. These include, but are not limited to, risks related to the
Company's limited capital resources, unforeseen delays in product development
or denials of FDA and other regulatory approvals, future product demand and
pricing, competitive products and technical developments and general business
and economic conditions. There can be no assurances that the Company's
expectations for its products will be achieved.
SOURCE Matritech, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.matritech.com
CONTACT:
Stephen D. Chubb, CEO or David L. Corbet,
President of Matritech, Inc., 617-928-0820, or Derek Caldwell,
Investor Relations of Sunrise Financial Group, 212-421-1616, or
Steve Danehy or Jon Siegal, Media Relations of Ronald Trahan
Associates, Inc., 617-332-0101, ext. 17
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