CardioDx completes multicenter validation study for Corus CAD

CardioDx, a cardiovascular genomic diagnostics company, announced today that the company has successfully completed its multicenter validation study for Corus(TM) CAD, the first and only gene expression test to quantify the likelihood of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with stable chest pain. The company expects to present results of the study by the end of 2009, and will publish the results in 2010.

Following completion of the validation study, CardioDx has made Corus CAD available in nine states initially, with broader availability expected in 2010. The test is now available in Kentucky, Maryland, Illinois, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas and Arizona. Patient samples are processed in Palo Alto at CardioDx's CLIA-certified laboratory.

"Completing the validation study for Corus CAD marks a major milestone for CardioDx," said David Levison, chief executive officer of CardioDx. "Our focus now turns to further developing the clinical and economic evidence needed to increase patient access to the unique benefits of Corus CAD."

Currently, the presence of obstructive CAD in patients with stable chest pain is most often evaluated through functional and/or anatomical assessment of the heart and its vessels, including stress echocardiography, myocardial perfusion imaging, and computed tomography angiography. However, despite advances in imaging technology, these techniques can be subjective and challenging for cardiologists, because of variation in presenting symptoms and each patient's unique disease characteristics. Corus CAD provides unique genomic information about an individual's disease processes at the molecular and cellular levels. When this information is combined with standard clinical assessments, physicians obtain a more complete picture of their patient's disease and can better individualize patient care.

"Our decision to develop Corus CAD was derived from many physician interactions in which they stressed the importance of and current challenges with effectively assessing obstructive CAD in patients with stable chest pain," said Levison. "We envision that a non-invasive, objective, easy-to-use test such as Corus CAD will empower physicians to more confidently identify which of these patients may have obstructive CAD."

Source: http://www.cardiodx.com