Frost & Sullivan, has preformed an analysis of the metabolomics-based diagnostic test market and recognized Metabolomic Technologies Inc. (MTI) with the 2014 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership.
MTI has developed a metabolomics screening test, the PolypDx, which takes advantage of a proprietary technology platform along with algorithms, to identify benign adenomatous polyps, that can ultimately lead to colorectal cancer (CRC) development.
The majority of marketed non-invasive colorectal cancer screening tests are stool-based, have low patient acceptance and are not developed to detect polyps.
The alternative to these tests is a colonoscopy, which is expensive, invasive and causes physical discomfort in the majority of patients.
PolypDx has been seen as an innovative and effective test, that analysis a patient’s urine in a highly sensitive manner. This type of sample can then be easily and rapidly sent to healthcare institutions, clinics, and hospitals.
Compared to other non-invasive screening techniques, PolypDx has a significantly higher sensitivity in detecting adenomatous polyps, allowing an important advance towards the prevention of CRC. This test can measure a group of metabolite biomarkers, allowing the detection of pre-malignant polyps, thus gaining an advantage over fecal occult blood testing and fecal immunochemical testing (that cannot detect polyps).
Even though colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of death in North America, these death rates could be significantly reduced through efficient early detection.
“MTI has employed its proprietary statistical algorithms and machine-learning capabilities to identify the metabolite assay signature, which offers greater sensitivity and specificity than FOBT tests. PolypDx™ can be integrated into the diagnostic process for colon cancer and lowers the overall costs incurred by a patient, who would otherwise have to undergo a colonoscopy just to assess polyp presence”, Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Madhumitha Rangesa said in a press release.
MTI used a technology called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to identify the metabolites that are altered during polyp progression. This type of testing is available today, however, it has a high production cost and a low availability, therefore limiting the possibility of a large-scale, population-based screening program.
To solve this problem, MTI began to use mass spectrometry to identify the concentration of the same metabolites detected through NMR.
“In its constant efforts to improve its development processes, MTI is working toward unifying the NMR and MS processes to eliminate the multiple quality assurance and quality check steps. In the future, this will reduce the effort and time required to develop tests,” concluded Madhumitha in the press release.
