genetic test for prostate cancer

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2500821.ece

September 21, 2007
Genetic test for prostate cancer
David Rose

A genetic test for prostate cancer, which should transform the way the
disease is detected and monitored, is now available in Britain.

The test, the first of its kind, measures the activity of a gene closely
linked to the cancer. Doctors hope that it will make diagnosis of the
disease more accurate and reduce the number of biopsies ? removal of
tissue samples ? that are obtained through painful procedures.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed in about 35,000 men each year in Britain and
10,000 die from the disease.

The standard diagnostic tool is the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test,
which looks for raised levels of a protein in the blood that leaks out of
the prostate gland. But the PSA test is notorious for providing misleading
results, which has led doctors to nickname it the ?Producer of Stress and
Anxiety? test.


The new test measures a genetic chemical, messenger RNA, which transfers
DNA ?instructions? from the PCA3 gene. Elevated scores are produced only
when prostate cancer is present, making the test highly specific.

The Prostate Cancer charity said that the test could help doctors to
decide whether or not to proceed with biopsies which, as well as being
painful, can have unwanted side-effects.

?If the test indicates it is unlikely that the man has prostate cancer
this reassures both the man and his doctor, and these repeat tests can be
avoided,? Chris Hiley, a spokesman for the charity said.

Biopsies are performed by ?punching out? small pieces of the prostate
gland using a sharp needle inserted through the anus. The procedure causes
acute anxiety in some patients and carries a risk of infection. In 80 per
cent of cases, a biopsy produces a negative result, but this does not
automatically exclude the presence of cancer.

Men with raised PSA, but who appear to be cancer-free, often have to
undergo repeated biopsies to check that all is well. Offering the new PCA3
test could ensure that biopsies are carried out only when absolutely
necessary.

The Progensa PCA3 test, which is licensed in the European Union, costs
about £200 compared with about £10 for a PSA test. For this reason it is
unlikely to be used as routinely as a PSA test and, at present, is not
widely available on the NHS. However, offering it to NHS patients could
theoretically reduce the cost of £500 biopsies.

A genetic test for breast cancer is also being heralded as a ?big step
forward? by scientists. It is hoped that it will be widely available on
the NHS within months. The method, developed by researchers in Newcastle
upon Tyne, could dramatically cut the cost and time it takes to test women
for the BRCA1 gene, which carries with it an 80 per cent risk of breast
cancer.

The new technology uses a Roche ?genome sequencer? to test DNA for genetic
abnormalities. It is already in use at the Institute of Human Genetics in
Newcastle, and scientists there are validating the technique so that it
can be rolled out more widely across the country in the next year.

John Burn, head of the institute, described the method as a ?big step
forward ? a breakthrough that is keeping us at the forefront of diagnostic
testing. It takes us up to a whole new level, comparable to moving from
horse-drawn carts to cars?.

He said that the new method was expected to make testing much more
accessible to women at risk of inheriting breast cancer, which is the most
common form of the disease in Britain.


http://www.roche.com/prod_diag_gen-seq20.htm
For life-science research only.
Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Using a revolutionary technology, the Genome Sequencer 20 System produces
millions of raw bases per hour on a single instrument making it an ideal
tool for researchers requiring fast, accurate, and cost-effective whole
genome sequencing.

Many biologically meaningful and complex regions of genomes can be
analyzed with this system without the time or cost constraints of current
DNA sequencing methods.

The Genome Sequencer 20 System provides an enabling solution for
ultra-high-throughput DNA sequencing.

http://www.pressebox.de/pressemeldungen/roche-diagnostics-gmbh/boxid-94951.html

Roche´s Genome Sequencer 20 Enters the African Continent: First System
Installation at inqaba biotec?s Sequencing Facility in South Africa

(pressebox) Mannheim, 27.02.2007 - Roche Applied Science, a business area
of Roche Diagnostics, announced that they have sold the first ultrafast
Genome Sequencer 20 System (including option for the new Genome Sequencer
FLX) in Africa. South Africa's inqaba biotec will be the first user on the
African continent. As of March 2007, the company will offer their
sequencing service to customers not only in Southern Africa but also
worldwide. The company supports all the applications available from 454
Life Sciences and Roche Diagnostics, including whole genome sequencing,
Paired-End, Amplicon, etc., and provides a tailor-made service according
to their customers` requirements.

Manfred Baier, Head of Roche Applied Science: "The professional management
of inqaba biotec´s sequencing service will give life scientists in South
Africa easy access to the next generation sequencing technology. We are
pleased to be able to contribute towards boosting genetic research in this
region. The substantial reductions in both time and costs by using the
system offer the prospect of applications for sequencing in the fields of
whole genome sequencing, transcriptome and gene regulation studies, or
amplicon analysis e.g., as a basis for the detection of somatic mutations
in cancer samples."

Oliver Preisig, CEO of inqaba biotec, explains: "The GS 20 sequencer from
Roche is based on a cutting-edge technology for the generation and
analysis of sequence data in the megabase range at a cost level that will
now make it accessible to many more life scientists than ever before. We
are excited that inqaba biotec was enabled by BioPAD (www.biopad.org.za),
a biotechnology investment trust funded by the Department of Science and
Technology of South Africa, with the aim of establishing a sequencing
service based on the GS technology in South Africa to serve regional as
well as international customers."

The Genome Sequencer 20 System, is based on 454 Sequencing? technology,
developed by the US company 454 Life Sciences, and can perform sequencing
runs up to 60 times faster than conventional commercially available
platforms. The preparation of a whole genome requires just a single
preparation step, without the need for extensive robots for colony picking
and handling of the microtiter plates. One single instrument can produce
dozens of megabases of sequence data within a few hours thanks to
parallel-processing, the latest imaging techniques and unique data
analysis.

About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division Headquartered in Basel,
Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused
healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a
supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection,
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the group contributes on a
broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life.
Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines
for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. Roche
employs roughly 70,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and
strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership
interests in Genentech and Chugai. Roche's Diagnostics Division offers a
uniquely broad product portfolio and supplies a wide array of innovative
testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients,
hospitals and laboratories world-wide. For further information, please
visit our websites www.roche.com and www.roche-diagnostics.com.

About inqaba biotec Inqaba Biotechnical Industries (Pty) Ltd, trading as
inqaba biotec, is a private South African genomics company founded in
2002. inqaba means 'rare and precious' in Xhosa and is pronounced with a
loud click. inqaba biotec was initiated and funded by a few scientists
from South Africa, the USA, Germany and Switzerland. inqaba biotec is
based in Pretoria, South Africa. A Swiss government loan with the aim of
facilitating investments in developing and emerging countries was crucial
in the start-up years. At the end of 2005 BioPAD (www.biopad.org.za), a
biotechnology investment trust funded by the Department of Science and
Technology of South Africa, joined inqaba biotec as a shareholder and
strategic partner. inqaba biotec's customer base covers the whole of South
Africa as well as other African countries, including Botswana, Kenya,
Mauritius, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. For further information,
please visit inqaba biotec's website www.inqababiotec.co.za.

Ansprechpartner:

Herr Dr. Burkhard Ziebolz
Roche Diagnostics GmbH
E-Mail:
Telefon:
Fax:
Zuständigkeitsbereich: Head Global Communication

Über Roche Diagnostics GmbH:
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world?s leading
research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and
diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the
early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the group
contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people?s health and
quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading
supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader
in virology. In 2005, sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 27.3
billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.2
billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 70,000 people in 150 countries
and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners,
including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Roche?s
Diagnostics Division offers a uniquely broad product portfolio and
supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to
researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories world-wide.
For further information, please visit our websites www.roche.com and
www.roche-diagnostics.com


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