LA JOLLA, Calif., Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — DermTech
International, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to bringing
genomic medicine to dermatologists, today announced that the
discovery data on its new genomic assay for melanoma have been
published in the British Journal of Dermatology. The test is
based on the EGIR™ technology (Epidermal Genetic Information
Retrieval) that non-invasively collects cells from the skin’s
surface using a custom adhesive. Details from the paper
titled “Non-invasive Genomic Detection of Melanoma” show that the
test is 100% sensitive in identifying melanoma.
The EGIR-based technology assessed pigmented skin lesions
thought to be suspicious for melanoma and identified all the
lesions containing either in situ (early stage) or invasive
disease correctly 100% of the time. The test registers 88%
specificity (12% false positives). These results are more
accurate than any currently available melanoma detection tool.
The study was performed at 18 sites across the United
States.
“Once it becomes available, this new ‘tape stripping’ technology
will allow us to non-invasively evaluate lesions which might not
rise to the level of clinical suspicion that would prompt one to
perform a biopsy, but which nonetheless, might harbor
melanoma,” said Mitchell Kline, MD, Clinical Assistant
Professor of Dermatology, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell
Medical School. “I believe that this genomic-based approach
will allow dermatologists to more fully assess patients in advance
of a biopsy and the test’s very low false positive rate should
translate to a reduced number of required excisions. This is
a technology I expect will have advantages for patients and the
healthcare system.”
The paper shows that the EGIR method, which uses adhesive to
harvest cells from the skin, identified genes that were
differentially expressed in melanomas versus normal skin and
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