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Biotech / Medical : Ciphergen Biosystems(CIPH): -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (387)	12/15/2005 11:31:57 AM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 510

>>FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIPHE - News) announced today it is launching a formal breast cancer diagnostic development program based on a series of discoveries made using Ciphergen's Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization (SELDI) technology and PatternTrack(TM) biomarker discovery process. The original study by Li (Clinical Chemistry 48(8) 1296-1304) published in 2002 detailed the discovery of three serum biomarkers that can improve detection of breast cancer. Two of the three markers have been identified and validated by two studies published this month. In the first study, Li et al (Clinical Chemistry 51 (2229-2235)) reported validation and identification of complement protein C3a as a biomarker for breast cancer. The sample cohort from three sites consisted of 46 age-matched healthy women, 32 with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), 37 with various benign breast diseases and 61 with locally invasive breast cancer. In an independent study, Mathelin et al (Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, online article), reported confirmation of complement protein C3a as an up-regulated biomarker as well as confirmation of the down-regulation of breast cancer marker one (BC1) from Li's study. Identification of BC1 is ongoing. Ciphergen plans to expand their breast cancer diagnostic development program based on these promising results. Expanded studies are planned with Ciphergen's recent collaboration with University College of London (UCL) and UCL BioMedica Plc., which involves analysis of samples collected from 200,000 women for breast and ovarian cancer and is expected to complement our existing collaboration with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Only 63% of breast cancers are localized at the time of diagnosis. Ideally, most women would prefer a simple blood test that would measure molecular markers for the presence of an early lesion. At Ciphergen, we are planning multi-site studies to validate several candidate biomarkers that could form the basis of a multi-marker assay to detect ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), since the majority of women diagnosed at this stage can be cured. Our goal is to develop a blood test that can be used in combination with sophisticated imaging techniques to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer," said Gail S. Page, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. Over the past few years, there have been notable studies utilizing SELDI-TOF-MS in diagnostic and prognostic areas of breast cancer research. While the development of biomarkers robust enough to meet the requirements for a diagnostic assay has driven extensive research over the past 20 years, recently the repeated discovery (overlap) of candidate biomarkers from independent studies are leading Ciphergen and its collaborators to embark upon an expanded development program aimed at understanding the specific biological pathways of early breast cancer and development of diagnostic and prognostic assays.<< snip And the financial restatements, guys, how are those coming? Cheers, Tuck