MabCure signs clinical research agreement to diagnose ovarian cancer

MabCure, N.V. (“MabCure”) a wholly-owned subsidiary of MabCure Inc. (OTCBB: MBCI) , a biotech company that has developed a series of highly specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to combat various types of cancers, has signed a clinical research agreement with the Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. The study aims to evaluate MabCure’s panel of anti-ovarian MAbs in diagnosing the presence of ovarian cancer in patients suspected of having the disease.

“MabCure’s proprietary platform technology has allowed us to develop a number of cancer-specific MAbs that could be invaluable for the diagnosis of several types of lethal cancers, and we are looking forward to exploring their utility in the clinical setting as well”

Dr. Amnon Gonenne, MabCure’s President and CEO commented, “We are very excited about the commencement of this study. We have been working hard to establish key partnerships with respectable research institutions and hospitals in Europe and the Far East, and this is no exception. We are looking forward to the results of the study and to moving MabCure forward towards having our diagnostic products on the market.”

“We know our diagnostic products have the potential to save many lives, and our mission is to get them to market as quickly as possible,” Dr. Gonenne added.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of all gynecological cancers. According to estimates by the American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2009 alone 21,550 American women will have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 14,600 American women are expected to die of this disease. The high mortality is mostly attributable to late diagnosis of the disease. According to the ACS, early detection of ovarian cancer, when the disease is still localized, can yield a five-year survival rate of 92% compared to 23% when the disease has already metastasized.

Recent advances in proteomics-based tests, which rely on measuring the relative abundance of normal proteins, help in estimating the likelihood of having ovarian cancer. However, by definition, these tests cannot provide a definitive diagnosis since they rely on statistical estimates and not on cancer-specific biomarkers. Furthermore, a new study by the National Cancer Institute [J. Natl Cancer Inst. 2010, 102:1-3, 26-38] reports that the use of such normal proteins for diagnosis of ovarian cancer may have limited practical usefulness for early intervention, since these proteins become substantially elevated only in the last year before clinical diagnosis. It is important to note that over 80% of ovarian cancer patients are clinically diagnosed with highly advanced disease (stages III and IV). Therefore, there is clearly an urgent need for the development of a definitive method for the early detection of ovarian cancer which relies on cancer-specific markers. The objective of MabCure’s clinical studies is to apply its highly specific antibodies for the definitive diagnosis of ovarian cancer with the ultimate goal of early diagnosis when the disease is highly curable.

“MabCure’s proprietary platform technology has allowed us to develop a number of cancer-specific MAbs that could be invaluable for the diagnosis of several types of lethal cancers, and we are looking forward to exploring their utility in the clinical setting as well,” said Dr. Gonenne.