Biosceptre diagnostic detects ovarian cancer

A study by Peptech's (ASX:PTD) joint venture partner Biosceptre has found that its diagnostic test successfully identified ovarian cancer in tissue analysis, paving the way for the development of a commercial test for this disease.

The study was conducted at the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne and tested 55 ovarian tissue samples. The Biosceptre test, which is an immunohistochemical test, identified 100 per cent of invasive or malignant cancers of the ovaries included in the tissue analysis.

"A commercial test based on this finding has the potential to allow clinicians to confirm the presence of ovarian cancer using a single slide and a single label, and to assess the likely invasiveness of the cancerous lesion," said Peptech executive chairman Mel Bridges in a statement.

The test requires a biopsy to be taken from the suspect organ of an individual and uses antibodies to detect the presence of cancer. The antibodies bind to a target which is believed to be on the surface of cancer cells but not normal cells.

"What we're looking to do is see whether we can find the target in the circulation of people that have cancer," said Biosceptre managing director Geoff Cumming. "However, at the moment, the test is tissue based."

The study also showed that the Biosceptre antibody is able to accurately discriminate between 'ovarian cancers' and 'borderline' or 'benign' ovarian tumours, which, according to Bridges, is extremely difficult using current methods.

Bridges said the Monash study results also confirmed the potential wide ranging application of the test in the cancer field.

"To date we have shown that the Biosceptre antibody binds to over 80 per cent of all cancer types, including ovarian, bowel, prostate, liver, uterine, mesothelioma (asbestos related), cervical, breast, brain, skin, stomach and lung," said Bridges in a statement.

Biopep

Peptech and Biosceptre formed a joint venture company called Biopep approximately two years ago and both companies are responsible for developing two different products each.

The first of Biosceptre's two products is the in vitro diagnostic test described above. The second is a topically applied skin cancer product.

"In terms of the commercialisation, we would hope to be generating revenue through the course of 2006," said Cumming about the in vitro diagnostic.