An Australian-owned biotechnology company Minomic has developed a simpler, better and more accurate blood test to diagnose prostate cancer. The prostate cancer blood test, MiCheck, could reduce the number of men advised to go through more invasive procedures and confirmatory surgeries after incurring a false positive result from the commonly used prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test.
PSA is a protein produced exclusively by prostate cells. The test entails checking the blood for this specific protein to determine if the patient has prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there are estimated 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer and about 27,540 deaths from prostate cancer in 2015. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of deaths among American men next to lung cancer.
MiCheck works by determining a biomarker called MIL-38 antigen which can be found in the surface of prostate cancer cells. The scientists behind the study also found out two additional markers that were never used in prostate cancer diagnosis yet.
They tested 300 patient samples from 10 urology centers in the US. In the report released on Monday, their clinical trial the company conducted in the United States shows that the MiCheck test has incurred only a false positive rate of 1.5 out of 10. Also, the test incurred 85% specificity and accuracy compared to just 40% for PSA, reports Life Scientist.
Mark Carnegie's venture capital fund backed the said development of the test and according to Chief executive Brad Walsh in a report by Sydney Morning Herald, "By the end of the year we are looking to roll out products." This is after the clinical trial showed promise of the efficacy of the test.
The company is planning to release the test not only in Australia, but to a bigger market. Thus, they are applying for approval and accreditation from the United States Food and Drug Administration.