blood test for ovarian cancer
Yale's Office of Cooperative Research has granted an exclusive license agreement with the Chinese company SurExam Life Science & Technology (Shenzhen) Co. for the commercialization of the University's blood testing technology for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).
EOC is the fourth most common cancer in U.S. women and the leading cause of gynecologic cancer death. It affects approximately 25,000 women each year, causing more than 16,000 deaths.
SurExam is a Chinese bio-pharmaceutical company focusing on the research, development and promotion of products related to early cancer detection. The company's target is to become the leading company in China in the field of diagnostic industry.
The Yale technology for EOC detection is based on analysis of a collection of known serum proteins associated with cancer biology. Each protein marker is assayed using a routine ELISA assay, then the panel of results is scored.
"SurExam is delighted to license the Yale technology for early detection of ovarian cancer in China -- and to help to improve the health of women in our country," says Dr. Jiasen Xu, chief executive officer of SurExam. "As a Chinese scientist trained at Yale, I am honored that SurExam was chosen as the company to develop and commercialize Yale's intellectual property in my motherland. I hope SurExam's work will facilitate future collaboration between Yale and Chinese biotechnology companies."
SurExam is a privately held company funded by private capital. The founders include scientists trained at Yale and other international institutions. The company's scientific team is engaged in cutting-edge cancer research around the world, including universities in the U.S. and China, according to Xu.
SurExam has built strategic partnerships with several of the largest hospitals and top medical schools in China. The company is engaged in several cancer research collaborations with these institutes.
Research at the heart of the technology was led by Dr. Gil Mor, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale. A study featuring the technology was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in 2005. Statistical analyses from a preliminary study of 206 women -- 24 patients with early stage (I/II) EOC and 76 with later stage (III/IV) EOC -- showed a higher sensitivity and specificity than current commercially available tests and a positive predictive value. Yale expects to conduct additional clinical studies on the test technology prior to its commercial introduction.
"I am most excited to see a Chinese company license a Yale patent to develop diagnostic products in China," says Dr. Zhinan Yin, assistant professor of internal medicine (rheumatology) at Yale and senior scientific consultant for SurExam. "This creates a new opening for the future of biotech partnerships between Yale and China."
-- By Janet Rettig Emanuel
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