Company Press Release
Tuesday June 12, 2001 09:01 AM
Matritech Begins Simultaneous Clinical Study of NMP66 Blood Test For Early Detection of Breast Cancer in Europe
Patients to be recruited at three sites in Germany
NEWTON, Mass., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Matritech, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMPS), the cancer diagnosis company, announced today that it has initiated the investigation of its NMP66 breast cancer screening blood test in Germany. This parallel trial to a recently announced multi-center clinical study in the United States is the result of leading European doctors" enthusiasm for the crucial role NMP66 could play in the early detection of breast cancer.
The investigators in Germany are: -- Prof. Dr. Med. Rolf Kreienberg, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Ulm. Prof. Kreienberg is the current president of the German Cancer Society. -- Dr. Med. Katarzyna Michniewicz of the Frauenklinik (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology) at the Oskar Ziethen Krankenhaus, a teaching hospital of Humboldt University in Berlin. -- Dr. Med. Diana Lueftner, at the Department of Oncology and Hematology at the Central Campus of the Charite in Berlin, the main hospital of Humboldt University and the largest university hospital in Europe. Dr. Lueftner is the Coordinator of the Breast Cancer Biochemical Marker Study Group at the Charite, and is also a member of Matritech's Breast Cancer Medical Advisory Board. She will coordinate the NMP66 research activities at the three sites. "There is a great need for a blood based breast cancer screening and
diagnostic test, so I was eager to be part of this investigation," stated Dr. Lueftner. "Annual mammogram programs in Europe are not very successful due to compliance problems. Currently in Germany, women are recommended to have a baseline mammogram between the ages of 35-40, and every two years thereafter, but many women only have them done when they have a lump or other cause for concern. Consequently cancers are diagnosed at a more advanced stage, which affects prognosis and mortality. A blood based screening test like NMP66 could fill a critical clinical need, not just in Germany, but worldwide."
"The rapid initiation of the European NMP66 trial was made possible by our purchase of Matritech GmbH, and its strong ties with leading physicians," added David L. Corbet, President and Chief Operating Officer of Matritech. "Our confidence in the potential market for NMP66 encouraged us to aggressively pursue clinical investigation simultaneously in the US and Europe."
On May 23, Matritech announced that it had begun patient recruitment for the clinical trial of NMP66 in the United States. The studies in the U.S. and Germany have the same objective: to investigate the ability of the NMP66 test to detect breast cancer, differentiate between benign and malignant lesions, and identify patients with normal mammograms. Approximately 1,000 patients will be recruited at the following U.S. sites:
-- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, by Dr. Rosemary Duda -- Arkansas Cancer Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, by Dr. Suzanne Klimberg -- Univ. of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, by Dr. Funda Meric -- BenOra Imaging, Phoenix, AZ, by Dr. Avi Ben-Ora -- Strang Weill Cornell Breast Center, New York, NY, by Dr. Rache Simmons -- Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center of the Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, OR, by Dr. John Smith II -- Women's Center at Mercy Hospital, Oklahoma City, OK, by Dr. Alan Hollingsworth Last year, Matritech reported proof of clinical concept results for NMP66
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