BEIJING, April 3, 2008 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China Medical Technologies, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq: CMED), a leading China-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced
in-vitro diagnostic products and high intensity focused ultrasound tumor therapy systems, today announced the completion of development of the Prostate Cancer FISH Detection Kit (the "Kit"), a prostate cancer-specific molecular diagnostic test based on the Fluorescent in situ Hybridization ("FISH") technology. The Company expects to launch the Kit in July 2008.
The Kit is designed to detect TMPRSS2 and ETS gene fusions in prostate pathological tissues. Dysregulation of ETS family members through fusions with TMPRSS2 are implicated as cancer-causing gene rearrangements in prostate cancer, which can aid in the detection of early prostate cancer. The Kit consists of three dual-color probe sets, namely TMPRSS2/ETV1 probes, TMPRSS2/ERG probes and TMPRSS2/ETV4 probes. Studies have shown that TMPRSS2/ETS gene fusions occur in approximately 80 percent of prostate cancer cases, indicating that the application of TMPRSS2/ETS gene fusions as specific biomarkers can significantly increase the sensitivity for prostate cancer diagnosis. In addition, it has been reported that the TMPRSS2/ERG fusion may have prognostic significance.
"The successful development of the Kit is a milestone in expanding our FISH reagent portfolio, which represents the first significant product developed by our researchers since the FISH acquisition in 2007," said Mr. Xiaodong Wu, Chairman and CEO of the Company. "Our FISH business has become an important growth driver of the Company and we believe the continual launch of new FISH reagents with huge potential of diagnostic application will drive the growth of our recurring reagent business rapidly."
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent cancers among men in China and many other countries. In China, prostate-related diseases affect about 60-70% of men over 60 years of age of which the population is about 80 million. Among them, patients with prostate enlargement who need surgical therapy have the opportunity to benefit from the use of the Kit to resolve the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
About China Medical Technologies, Inc.
China Medical Technologies is a leading China-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced in-vitro diagnostic products using Enhanced Chemiluminescence (ECLIA) technology and Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) technology, to detect and monitor various diseases and disorders, and products using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of solid cancers and benign tumors. For more information, please visit http://www.chinameditech.com .
For more information, please contact:
China Medical Technologies, Inc.
Sam Tsang
Tel: +86-10-6530-8833
Email: IR@chinameditech.com
