Procyon Biopharma Inc.
8/8/00 -
New Study Suggests PSP(94) Utility as Diagnostic/Prognostic
PROCYON BIOPHARMA INC ("PBP-TV") - New Study Suggests PSP(94) Utility as
Diagnostic/Prognostic - Product for Prostate Cancer
While Therapeutic Development Continues
Procyon BioPharma Inc. ("Procyon") announced the results of a study soon to be published in the
Journal of Urology indicating that the Company's PSP(94) platform, primarily being developed as a
therapeutic for prostate cancer, also shows promise as a diagnostic/prognostic product for the
disease.
In the study, collaborators of the Company Drs. Joe Chin and Jim Xuan at the London Health
Sciences Center, London, Ontario and Dr. Hideki Sakai at Nagasaki University, Japan, report on
the utility of PSP94 as a novel cancer marker for the confirmation of late stage prostate cancer.
The study involved 163 prostate cancer patients who had all undergone radical prostatectomy
(surgery to remove the prostate) , subsequent to either hormone ablation therapy or no treatment.
The level of PSP94 (prostate secretory protein) in the prostate tissue of all these patients was
measured, together with PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels as a comparison. The results
obtained show decreasing levels of PSP(94) in tissues from untreated patients, correlated with an
increasing grade of tumors (negligible amounts in Gleason grade 5). A similar trend was observed in
tissues obtained from the patients treated with hormone ablation therapy, albeit the levels of PSP94
in these cases were, in general, higher than in the untreated group. In contrast, in all patients tested,
PSA levels remained relatively unchanged (elevated in comparison to PSP(94)) and did not
correlate with the grade of tumors.
These data suggest that measurement and immunohistological staining of PSP(94) in prostate tissue
biopsies may be of considerable advantage to the treating physician. In conjunction with the PSA
test, it may provide valuable additional information on the confirmation of tumor grade as well as the
monitoring of hormone ablation therapy. This strengthens the observations on the utility of the
PSP(94) marker as a potential prognostic/diagnostic and follows a recent study published by the
Company and its collaborators in "The Prostate Journal" (Vol. 2 (2): 94-101, 2000).
"The study described here adds additional value to our PSP(94) technology and gives us increased
confidence in developing PSP(94) as a useful tool for the large and growing prostate cancer
diagnostic market," said Mr. Hans Mader, CEO and President of Procyon BioPharma Inc.
Procyon BioPharma Inc. is a publicly listed, biopharmaceutical Company focused principally on
advancing two powerful platform technologies that have the potential to diagnose and treat cancer.
Procyon's Antinuclear Autoantibodies (ANAs) bind specifically to multiple cancer cell types strongly
enhancing the immune response to cancer cells. Prostate Secretory Protein (PSP(94)) is a naturally
occurring human protein that has the potential to treat prostate cancer by inhibiting abnormal
prostate cell growth. In addition, the estimation of PSP(94) levels in prostate cancer patients may
have prognostic and diagnostic applications. Procyon also has two late-stage products:
FIBROSTAT(TM), a topical cream for the management of newly formed scars following surgery or
burns and COLOPATH(TM), a rapid, non-invasive screening test for colorectal cancer.
Procyon's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol, PBP. TEL: (514)
685-9283
Procyon BioPharma Inc.
Hans J. Mader, President and CEO Email: hmader@procyonbiopharma.com INET :
www.procyonbiopharma.com TEL: (514) 843-2309
NATIONAL Public Relations, Nathalie Bourque
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