European Patent Issued For Bladder Cancer Diagnosis Method

Bladder Cancer Diagnosis

Ciphergen Biosystems announced that the European Patent Office has issued Patent for aiding in bladder cancer diagnosis when used in conjunction with the current standard of care -- cystoscopy.

The patent describes using mass spectrometry to detect certain protein biomarkers that are present in patients with bladder cancer versus patients who do not have bladder cancer. These discoveries were made under a collaborative agreement between Ciphergen and Eastern Virginia Medical School. Ciphergen retains exclusive rights to these discoveries for diagnostic development.

"The issuance of this patent is another example of Ciphergen's growing intellectual property portfolio and the productivity of our collaborations, which continue to support the expansion of our high-value diagnostic development programs," said Gail S. Page, Chief Executive Officer of Ciphergen Biosystems. "In collaboration with our partners, we continue to generate promising biomarker data that may be useful for aiding physicians in cancer diagnosis, disease monitoring, or prediction of recurrence."

The American Cancer Society estimates approximately 67,000 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed in the United States (about 50,040 men and 17,120 women) in 2007. An estimated 13,750 deaths from bladder cancer will occur this year in the United States (about 9,630 men and 4,120 women).