Sep. 8, 2009 (Business Wire) -- Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ROSG), a leading developer of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, and AXA Diagnostics, a privately owned company that markets specialized diagnostic tests, announced today the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement in Italy for Rosetta Genomics’ three currently available diagnostic tests. Under the terms of the agreement, AXA will market Rosetta Genomics’ miRview™ tests in Italy. Samples will be sent from Italy to Rosetta Genomics’ CLIA-laboratory in Philadelphia for analysis. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“This latest distribution agreement with AXA Diagnostics marks Rosetta Genomics’ entry into Europe, and we are excited to have AXA as our first partner in this region,” noted Ronen Tamir, Chief Commercialization Officer at Rosetta Genomics. “We believe that there is significant need for our miRview™ tests in Italy, as well as worldwide, and that AXA is the right partner to bring these tests to cancer patients in Italy. As we have previously mentioned, we are continuously expanding our global distribution network, and believe that by the end of the year our tests will be available in other regions as well.”

Silvio Furino, President of AXA Diagnostics, said, “We are excited about our new relationship with Rosetta Genomics. We expect that these novel molecular diagnostic tests will provide improved diagnoses for cancer patients in Italy and that physicians will now be able to provide personalized medicine and customized treatment. This new era of high-quality healthcare has the potential to make better medical outcomes possible.”

The following tests will be distributed by AXA Diagnostics:

• miRview™ mets – This test can accurately identify the primary tumor site in patients presenting with metastatic cancer, as well as in patients whose tumor has not been identified, and consequently been labeled Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP). As metastases need to be treated according to their primary origin, accurate identification of the metastases’ primary origin can be critical for determining appropriate treatment. Current diagnostic methods to identify the origin of a metastasis include a wide range of costly, time consuming and at times inefficient tests. miRview™ mets offers physicians a fast, accurate and easy-to-interpret diagnosis of the predicted primary origin.
• miRview™ squamous – Using a single microRNA, miRview™ squamous differentiates squamous from non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. When administered targeted therapy, whether currently available or under development, patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung have demonstrated varying response patterns ranging from a high incidence of severe or fatal internal bleeding in the lungs to overall poor response to treatment.