BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Immunotherapy for cancer is headline news (most recently, on the cover of last Sunday's New York Times - Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer ), but what about immunodiagnostics? A small, Boston-based company, Oncolab, may have part of the answer. Oncolab's AMAS test is part of a wider trend of the clinical significance of the immune system, and antibodies specifically, in cancer diagnostics and therapy.
(Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394727)
The company's pioneering blood test, the AMAS test, detects circulating antibodies to a specific antigen (protein) produced by most types of cancer. The AMAS test can be used as a diagnostic aid in cancer occurrence and recurrence. Over 60,000 tests have been performed to date, and both its sensitivity (the percentage of early-stage cancers detected by the test) as well as its specificity (the percentage of positive results on the test which are correlated with clinical cancer) are over 90 percent.
The company is exhibiting at its third AACC (American Association of Clinical Chemistry) conference this week in Philadelphia, and is planning to release a point-of-care version of its diagnostic test during 2017. Currently, blood samples must be converted to serum and then shipped overnight with dry ice refrigeration to the company's lab in Boston for the test to be performed. Being able to administer the test more easily and closer to the point of care, whether at clinics, hospitals or doctors' offices, could make a dramatic difference in followup and early detection of recurrence for cancer survivors.
There are over 15 million cancer survivors in the US, based on a recent American Cancer Society report. This population has grown in recent years with the increasing survival rates across a variety of cancer types, and is expected to grow to 20 milion by 2026. Among the tens of thousands of patients whose doctors have ordered the AMAS test, over one thousand patients have had the test administered 5 or more times each over a period of months or years. The company is conducting a survey of these patients, and initial indications are that the unique benefits of the test are especially clear when used to pick up cancer recurrences at an early stage.
The antimalignin antibody in serum (AMAS) Test, in contrast to other cancer blood tests, measures the concentration of a serum antibody, which has been shown to be elevated in early-stage cancers irrespective of location (1,2). The AMAS Test is permitted to market the FDA and is paid for by Medicare. The test is currently run by Oncolab, a CLIA-inspected laboratory facility in Boston, Mass.
This remarkable contrast highlights the utility of the test as a tool for early detection of recurrence in at-risk populations, particularly cancer survivors. Importantly, the company does not recommend the use of the test as a screen for populations at large, due to the difficulty of interpreting and following up on even a relatively low proportion of false positives (in the single percentage digits in the case of the AMAS test).
Cancer survivors, however, face markedly increased risk of cancer, but their physicians often have relatively few tools available for detecting and diagnosing these recurrences or additional tumors.
The company is exhibiting at this week's AACC conference, its 3rd consecutive year at the event. The Oncolab booth is #4131, and representatives of the company will be available to discuss potential partnerships and distribution arrangements. The test is priced at $249, plus all blood drawing, dry ice and shipping fees that apply.
To view this video on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K09xzIQ8zsg
Media Contact:Kevin Walsh, Oncolab, Inc., 617-536-0850, kevin@oncolabinc.com
News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com
SOURCE Oncolab, Inc
