Novigenix blood-based test detects colorectal cancer reliably

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in Europe and North America, however, the current testing methods involve unpleasant preparation of the colon, or stool manipulation. Novigenix conducted a study in which it derived a blood-based testing solution “Colox”, that detects colorectal cancer at an early stage yet reliably.

Colox is a proven molecular blood test that has been designed to support physicians in case finding of patients with CRC and adenomas for referral to colonoscopy. The test can support the healthcare community to significantly reduce mortality from colorectal cancer through early detection and intervention. Colox can be ordered by any physician in routine medical practice to identify patients with adenomatous polyps and colorectal cancer.

The study “Development and clinical validation of a blood test based on 29-gene expression for early detection of colorectal cancer” was conducted across seven institutions in Switzerland. This was designed to validate Colox on three independent test sets of patients, who were followed up with colonoscopy to determine the clinical performance of the test (sensitivity and specificity). The data show that Colox has a specificity of 92% and a sensitivity of 78% for CRC and respectively 92% and 52% for large adenomas. Professor

Gian Dorta, MD, of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV) was principal investigator of the study. Professor Curzio Rüegg of the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg, who was involved in the test’s development, said: “The inconvenience of current methods to detect colorectal cancer results in low adoption and the majority of individuals at risk not being tested. Colox has all the hallmarks of an effective and convenient test for colorectal cancer that can reliably identify patients for referral to intervention by colonoscopy. In addition, because of its unique combination of host immune response with tumor-derived markers, Colox has the ability to detect precursor lesions of colorectal cancer, making it a promising ally in cancer prevention.”

Important validation of the clinical significance of Colox
Last week the company announced that the study has been published in the journal “Clinical Cancer Research”. This publication in the journal is of great significance to the company. Brian Hashemi, Executive Chairman of Novigenix, said: “The publication of our study in Clinical Cancer Research provides important validation of the clinical significance of Colox. As a convenient and accurate blood test, Colox outperforms other commercially available CRC blood tests, and has the potential to become truly instrumental in the reduction of cancer mortality through early detection of advanced polyps and colorectal cancer. At Novigenix we are committed to reducing cancer mortality, and every day we work with clinicians and the healthcare community at large to broaden access to Colox in Switzerland and abroad.”

The publication can be accessed here.

(Press release)