Message #7 From:
NewsBot Date: August 26, 2005 11:50:00 AM
XNOM News Xenomics Featured in CNN Money Segment on its Development of Novel Noninvasive Prenatal Test to Detect Down Syndrome; CEO Dr. Randy White Discusses Development of Breakthrough Test Based on Proprietary Tr-DNA Technology in New Online Interview
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 2005--Xenomics, Inc. (OTCBB:XNOM), a developer of next-generation medical DNA technologies, announced today the online availability of an interview given by CEO Dr. Randy White to CNN/Money.
In the interview, Dr. White discusses Xenomics' latest efforts to develop a novel noninvasive medical diagnostic test to detect prenatal Down syndrome, which he tells CNN/Money reporter, Aaron Smith, would be safe and accurate based on Xenomics' Transrenal-DNA (Tr-DNA) platform technology.
"At this day and age where we have professional women who are continuing to delay their pregnancies, this is a badly needed test," says White in the interview, referring to the increased risk of fetal Down syndrome in older mothers. "There is a bad, bad need for a test that is safe and effective and gives a definitive yes-no result."
If clinical tests are successful, Xenomics could submit its product to the Food and Drug Administration in 2007. Xenomics believes its technology could revolutionize prenatal diagnostic testing, by providing an earlier and more accurate result than the currently available triple and quad screen tests and as a prescreen for amniocentesis may reduce the number of these potentially risky procedures performed.
Several of the key competitive advantages of Xenomics' Tr-DNA technology include its ability to be conducted on easily-obtained urine samples, the potential to deliver a result in the first trimester of pregnancy (6-7 weeks) as compared to the second trimester (16-18 weeks) for all existing tests, the potential to deliver a definitive yes/no result instead of the risk assessment obtained with the triple and quad screen tests and the future ability to deliver a suite of prenatal genetic tests from a single sample collection
The interview also features Shara Rosen, an independent, third party analyst with Kalorama Information. "The Holy Grail right now in prenatal screening is either maternal blood or urine," Rosen says. "Everybody and his uncle is looking for something to replace amniocentesis. Next to cancer, it is the huge frontier." She also is quoted as saying, "If the company is successful on the risky road to getting a prenatal DNA urinalysis on the market, it could be a revenue boon," says Rosen.
"If it works, whoa, it's like (the invention of the) printing press," Rosen adds. "They've got a license to print money."
The Company is currently conducting human clinical trials of its Tr-DNA technology for prenatal Down syndrome in partnerships with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, a leading healthcare and educational institution, and with the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System, one of the nation's largest healthcare institutions.
Xenomics is also developing new and medically valuable Tr-DNA tests for infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The Company's Tr-DNA technology involves the analysis of fragments of DNA that have moved from the blood stream through the kidneys, where they accumulate in urine.
Xenomics' scientists were the first to detect this DNA material in urine samples. Most existing medical DNA diagnostic tests use blood or tissue samples from more invasive tissue biopsies, which are more difficult to obtain.
Xenomics is a molecular diagnostic company that focuses on the development of DNA-based tests using Transrenal DNA (Tr-DNA). Xenomics' patented technology uses safe and simple urine collection and can be applied to a broad range of applications, including prenatal testing, tumor detection and monitoring, tissue transplantation, infectious disease detection, genetic testing for forensic identity determination, drug development, and research to counter bioterrorism. Scientists from Xenomics were the first to report that fragments of DNA from normal cell death cross the kidney barrier and can be detected in urine. The Company believes that its technology will open significant new markets in the molecular diagnostics field. Xenomics has three issued U.S. patents covering different applications of the technology for molecular diagnostics and genetic testing and a pending European patent for the same applications. The Company has organized a joint venture to conduct research on infectious disease detection with the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (Instituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive "Lazarus Spallanzani") in Rome, in the form of a new R&D company called SpaXen Italia, S.R.L. For more information, please visit http://xenomics.com. For more investor-specific information, including daily and historical Company stock quote data and recent news releases, please visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics. To read or download the Company's Investor Fact Sheet visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/factsheet.html. To view an online video about Xenomics technology and products, visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/video.html. A TV news report about the Company's next-generation prenatal tests can be viewed at http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/ny1_video.html.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release are forward looking. Such statements are indicated by words such as "expect," "might," "should," "anticipate" and similar words indicating uncertainty in facts and figures. Although Xenomics believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. As discussed in the periodic reports of Xenomics, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of the following factors, among others: uncertainties associated with product development, the risk that Xenomics will not obtain approval to market its products, the risk that Xenomics' technology will not gain market acceptance, the risks associated with dependence upon key personnel, and the need for additional financing.
