Singapore-based biopharmaceutical company Prestige Biopharma has developed an advanced diagnostic test kit for detecting pancreatic cancer.
The company’s new diagnostic kit is designed to measure the levels of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Upregulated Factor (PAUF).
PAUF is a tumour-specific biomarker that is overexpressed in around 80% of pancreatic cancer cases, correlated with early progression and metastasis.
The novel diagnostic method exhibits high sensitivity and specificity in detecting PAUF.
In the preliminary investigations by the company’s Innovative Discovery Centre (IDC), pancreatic cancer patients had a higher level of PAUF expression than healthy individuals.
The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis is used to evaluate a biomarker’s effectiveness, showing 86.3% sensitivity in detecting pancreatic cancer.
Prestige Biopharma CEO Lisa S Park said: “The early detection of pancreatic cancer is just as crucial as an effective treatment, given its reputation as a silent killer.
“As part of our efforts to combat this devastating disease, we are expanding into diagnostics using our innovative PAUF-based technology.
“Through the successful development of the diagnostic kit on top of a novel antibody, we believe our efforts will significantly benefit patients with pancreatic cancer and contribute to improving human health, which is exactly what our mission ‘Innovation for Life’ stands for.”
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive tumour associated with extremely poor prognosis and low survival rates, due to late diagnosis, non-specific symptoms, early metastasis, rapid progression, and the lack of effective treatment modalities.
The company has submitted a provisional patent application for the diagnostic method in South Korea and started partnership discussions with major diagnostic companies.
In addition, the company’s Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), Prestige Biologics, is preparing to manufacture antibody diagnostic kits.
Prestige Biopharma has been developing PBP1510, an advanced anti-PAUF monoclonal antibody to treat pancreatic cancer.
PBP1510 secured the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Orphan Drug designation, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in 2020.
