Jan. 6, 2010 (Hugin AS) --
OncoMethylome's Technology is being used in Roche Clinical Trial Program with Avastin
Liege (Belgium) - January 6, 2010, 8:00 AM CET - OncoMethylome Sciences (Euronext Brussels: ONCOB, Euronext Amsterdam: ONCOA) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel Switzerland, for MGMT gene promoter methylation testing in a Phase III clinical trial for the use of Avastin in newly diagnosed (glioblastoma [GBM]) brain tumors.
This trial will compare the current standard-of-care therapy, which is concurrent chemoradiation and adjuvant temozolomide "TMZ" (TemodarÒ, Schering-Plough), with the standard-of-care plus bevacizumab (AvastinÒ, Roche). All patients will be randomized to TMZ and radiotherapy or TMZ, radiotherapy and bevacizumab. OncoMethylome Sciences will receive payments for performing MGMT testing, using their patented Methylation-Specific PCR (MSP) technology, on all patients enrolled in this trial.
As evidenced by this trial, and numerous other Phase II and Phase III clinical trials of new therapies for advanced brain cancers, OncoMethylome's MGMT assay has become the method of choice for determining a patient's MGMT methylation status. In the future, such information may play a key role in selection of the optimal therapy for each patient. OncoMethylome's MGMT assay is also commercially available in North America through Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) and in Europe through OncoMethylome.
Mr. Luc Segers, Senior Director Business Development at OncoMethylome commented, "We are very pleased that MGMT testing will be incorporated into this study, once again demonstrating the market interest in identifying biomarkers that will lead to more personalized healthcare."
About Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Brain Tumors
GBM is the most aggressive and malignant form of glioma, a type of primary brain tumor. The annual incidence of GBM is four to five cases per 100,000 persons, with 25,000 to 28,000 new cases diagnosed each year in North America and Europe.