By Ron Shinkman, Editor, Laboratory Industry Report
Circulogene Theranostics has released a finger-stick test that allows clinicians to monitor the progression of cancer with just a drop or so of blood.
The assay will analyze 10 kinds of cancer: Breast, colorectal, lung, gastric, gastrointestinal stromal, hematological, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic and thyroid. It focuses primarily on cell-free DNA. The test can be performed with as little as 20 microliters of blood. The test turnaround time is about one week. The results include a personalized patient report that can be used to guide treatments or drug regimens.
“As soon as a patient receives a positive diagnosis of cancer from his or her physician, our test provides a rapid and cost effective tool to aid the physician in planning, implementing and monitoring the treatment process,” said Circulogene Chief Executive Officer Mike Mullen in a statement. “Research has shown cancers change rapidly and shed tumor DNA into circulating blood. Our technology detects and monitors tumor changes in a very specific and sensitive way.”
Mullen served as CEO of Atherotech before founding the Birmingham, Ala.-based Circulogene. He started the company with about $3 million raised from private investors in the Birmingham area. It has the laboratory capacity to perform as many as 200,000 assays a year.