Matritech develops breast cancer blood test

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Dec. 9 - Matritech Inc. said it has developed an improved method of detecting the NMP66 nuclear matrix protein complex in serum from women with breast cancer.

NMP66 proteins are present in the blood of breast cancer patients but not generally present in the blood of women without detectable breast malignancy.

Matritech scientists have developed several methods to detect the NMP66 complex in serum, including an immunoassay and a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction procedure, but have continued developing new methods in order to increase the assay's sensitivity.

The result of one such method concentrates the NMP66 complex from a blood sample using an anti-sense affinity capture procedure, the company said.

The procedure was then used in a proof-of-concept study comparing samples from women with no breast disease to women with breast cancer. After the samples underwent the concentration step, they were tested by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction procedure.

In a cohort of eight patients, the NMP66 complex was found in each cancer patient and was absent in each of the healthy subjects, the company said.

Additionally, the relative likelihood that cancer was present was greater for serum samples positive for the NMP66 marker compared to those that were negative. There was a 67% greater likelihood of cancer being present when the test was positive compared to cancer being present when the test was negative among patients who had clinical or biopsy confirmation of breast disease, the company said.

This effect was even greater for postmenopausal women, among whom there was a 75% greater likelihood of cancer being present upon pathological confirmation when the immunoassay result was positive.

The data was presented at the 2005 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and Matritech scientists are working on further assay optimization, the company said.

The NMP66 breast cancer program in development is based on Matritech's proprietary nuclear matrix protein technology. Nuclear matrix proteins make up the protein framework that organizes DNA inside the cell. They change in amount in cancerous cells, making them excellent markers for a variety of cancers. They are found in body fluids, are highly accurate and can be detected in a minimally invasive manner, the company said.

Matritech is based in Newton, Mass., where is uses its proteomics technology to develop diagnostics for the detection of a variety of cancers.

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