Subject: U:TDSGF 3D Signatures Receives First Prostate Cancer Blood Samples for Precise Clinical Trial
3D Signatures Receives First Prostate Cancer Blood Samples for Precise Clinical Trial
(C:DXD) (OTCQB:TDSGF)
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Last Close 4/27/2017 $0.67
TORONTO, April 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 3D Signatures Inc. (TSXV:DXD) (OTCQB:TDSGF) (FSE:3D0) (the "Company" or "3DS") is pleased to announce that it has received the first batch of blood samples for the PRECISE prostate cancer clinical trial (“PRECISE”). The samples were received for processing and analysis at the Company’s new laboratory and corporate headquarters in the MaRS Discovery District, Toronto, Canada.
Prostate Cancer
There is a significant unmet need for accurate and minimally invasive diagnostic and risk-assessment tools to allow clinicians to make better treatment decisions for prostate cancer patients. There are approximately 524,000 new prostate cancer patients diagnosed in the U.S. and Europe each year, and approximately 5.8 million men living with the disease in the U.S. and Europe. Currently, patients face the choice of either living with prostate cancer under active surveillance or pursuing treatment that, while highly efficacious, is also accompanied by significant risk of devastating side effects such as erectile dysfunction, incontinence, bowel complications and infection.
Telo-PC Test
3DS is developing a blood-based diagnostic test for prostate cancer (“Telo-PC”) which is based on the Company’s proprietary TeloViewTM software platform. Recent clinical results indicate that Telo-PC is a promising candidate for an accurate and minimally invasive risk-assessment and monitoring platform with significant benefits over existing testing options:
•§Accurate: Data from a 50 patient prostate cancer pilot study focused on men with intermediate risk prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy (“RP”) was very encouraging. Preliminary results indicate that from a blood test prior to RP, TeloViewTM correctly predicted the status/aggressiveness of disease in each of the study’s patients (50/50).i While all patients were diagnosed as intermediate risk using conventional biopsies prior to surgery, only 21 of the 50 patients who underwent RP showed disease upgrading upon post-surgical analysis and therefore were suitable for prostate removal. 29 of the 50 patients did not need RP at that point in time. TeloViewTM correctly predicted that these 29 patients had a stable form of prostate cancer and that the other 21 had progressive disease.
•§Blood-based: The current standard of care to diagnose and monitor prostate cancer is generally to carry out a trans-rectal needle biopsy. There are significant advantages to a blood-based test which include reduced incidence of infection and pain, as well as greater convenience and logistical flexibility.
•§Full-spectrum: 3DS is developing a blood-based diagnostic test for patients at every stage of prostate cancer. Telo-PC analyzes circulating tumor cells (“CTCs”) from a patient’s blood. The diagnostics industry has faced a historical challenge to isolate CTCs from early stage cancer patients; however, 3DS has recently demonstrated the ability to do so at all stages of prostate cancer.ii
•§High-resolution: It is common for an individual prostate cancer patient to have more than one subtype of prostate cancer. Telo-PC is designed to determine the status/aggressiveness of prostate cancer which includes identification and assessment of multiple tumor subtypes (heterogeneity) within a single patient, increasing the scope of understanding of the patient’s disease status.iii
•§Dynamic: Telo-PC has the ability to monitor disease status by assessing tumor cells before and after treatment. The technology has identified structural changes in tumor subpopulations as a result of certain treatment regimes.iv The changes identified are specific to each tumor subpopulation and treatment.
“We are honoured to have been chosen to participate in PRECISE,” commented Jason Flowerday, 3DS’ CEO. "This major clinical trial for prostate cancer diagnosis and management provides 3DS with a powerful opportunity to help validate Telo-PC as a first-of-its-kind test which is able to identify if a patient has clinically significant prostate cancer and, if so, should be prioritized for treatment.”