Epigenomics test could refine prostate cancer screening

German molecular diagnostics firm Epigenomics has identified novel biomarkers of prostate cancer, according to data presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held in San Diego.

In the study, indicators discovered by Epigenomics' proprietary differential methylation hybridization technology were subsequently validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction in an independent sample set. A total of 26 novel biomarkers were successfully validated in this study, a number of which specifically discriminate prostate cancer from benign prostate conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. These biomarkers have the potential to augment diagnostic specificity of the best-characterized prostate cancer methylation biomarker, GSTP1, the German firm noted, adding that the discrimination of prostate cancer from benign prostate conditions is one of the major shortfalls of prostate-specific antigen testing, the current standard in prostate cancer screening.

Epigenomics says it will now further optimize analytical PCR assay performance and validate the most promising candidate biomarkers in a clinical study on urine samples.