Biotech Values

[apljack]

Esophageal Ca: Appropo to this thread, this is from NGNM this am:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/neogenomics-validates-launches-neosite-barretts-120000517.html

From the PR:

Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from Barrett's Esophagus in the United States, a condition which can be a precursor to esophageal cancer. Although less than 1% of these patients develop cancer each year, esophageal carcinoma is frequently not detected until later stages, at which point therapy options are limited, extremely invasive, and often ineffective. Therefore, early detection is important and regular surveillance is recommended. Endoscopic examinations with multiple tissue biopsies to look for dysplasia and cancer have long been considered the standard surveillance procedure for BE patients. However, current data suggests that an esophageal "brushing" may be more effective than a traditional tissue biopsy, because it allows for the collection of cells from a larger area of the esophagus for testing, which results in less sampling error. Esophageal brushings are also generally easier and less costly to obtain than tissue biopsies.

NeoGenomics' NeoSITE™ Barrett's Esophagus FISH test was designed specifically to be performed on brushing samples and can be used as an objective and easier means to aid in routine surveillance of BE patients. The Company performed an extensive trial to validate this new test in which the test showed initial sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 67% when the Company's proprietary algorithms were used to assist with interpreting the FISH results. Reported sensitivity and specificity levels were even higher when brushing samples were obtained from nodules rather than pan-brushing.

The Sensitivity/Specificity reported does not particularly impress me, but the addition of a more comprehensive surveillence technique for this type of aggressive and often fatal Ca. would seem to be a good idea.

Best,

AJ