Biomerica Announces Exclusive Agreement to Develop New Tests to Aid in Detection of Peptic Ulcers and Gastric Cancer
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Biomerica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRA), the first company in the world to develop a commercial laboratory blood test to detect the presence of antibodies to H. pylori, today announced it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement for a patented system that will allow Biomerica to develop tests to identify individuals with a high risk of disease caused by virulent strains of H. pylori.
The agreement, with OraVax, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, allows Biomerica the exclusive diagnostic use of the patented Cytotoxin Associated Gene A (CagA) to produce simple and easy to perform tests for physicians' offices, clinical laboratories and research laboratories in manual test formats.
The diagnostic tests to be developed by Biomerica will assist physicians in identifying individuals infected with virulent strains of H. pylori associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. "The discovery of CagA is very clinically important. The tests will improve patient care, while reducing health care costs, by providing physicians the first diagnostic tool to specifically identify, and then treat, high risk individuals. We believe the new CagA products will be a significant contribution to our future revenues," said Mr. Zackary Irani, Biomerica Chief Executive Officer.
The CagA tests to be developed will utilize an advanced technology that can be performed at almost all clinical laboratories without the use of expensive special equipment, Irani said. The tests will require only a blood sample. In addition, a ten minute physicians' office version of the test will be developed.
It is estimated that H. pylori infection may affect as much as 70% of the world's population, including approximately 30 percent of the U.S. population. In recent years, scientists have determined that H. pylori, rather than stress or a bad diet, is the main cause of chronic gastritis and the development of peptic ulcers, and if untreated, is a significant risk factor for stomach cancer. CagA has been demonstrated to effectively aid in the identification of individuals infected with strains of H. pylori associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. |
