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AXIM® Biotechnologies Files for Patent for Unique Biomarker for Early Detection of Cancer in Blood
AXIM® Biotechnologies Files for Patent for Unique Biomarker for Early Detection of Cancer in Blood.
About this update from Axim Biotechnologies, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n NEW YORK, May 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AXIM® Biotechnologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AXIM) (“AXIM® Biotech,” “AXIM” or “the Company”), an international healthcare solutions company targeting oncological and cannabinoid research, announced today its oncology-focused subsidiary, Sapphire Biotech, Inc. (“Sapphire”), filed a utility patent application relating to a novel biomarker for the detection of cancer in blood serum and urine. “Sapphire’s diagnostics products have the potential to change the way in which cancer is detected and treated, not only by enabling detection with a simple blood test but also by providing an important tool for oncologists to assess the treatment protocol for patients,” said AXIM® Biotech CEO John W. Huemoeller II. The patent application is based on Sapphire’s discovery of the long splice variant of the enzyme, quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX1-L), as a biomarker in bladder cancer patients’ sera that was highly specific for the presence of cancer and was low or non-existent in normal donors’ sera. This is the first time that a clinically relevant QSOX1-L splice variant has been identified as a unique biomarker of bladder cancer and other cancers in serum. Sapphire scientists have generated a novel antibody that selectively detects only this splice variant and have used the biomarker to develop a prototype rapid and cost-effective diagnostic test for bladder and other cancers non-invasively. On August 21, 2019, a one-year clinical trial began to evaluate Sapphire’s test to detect the QSOX1 biomarker in patients with or at risk for pancreatic cancer.  “Sapphire’s objective is to address the large mortality cancer rate by developing products using its proprietary biomarker, QSOX1, that can potentially detect cancer earlier than blood biopsy tests,” said Catalina Valencia, Chief Executive Officer of Sapphire Biotech. Sapphire’s Diagnostics Product Portfolio includes:  Universal Companion Diagnostic Test: Sapphire scientists have developed proprietary assays to detect QSOX1 levels in patients undergoing cancer treatment. The universal companion diagnostic test is intended to measure the response to treatment and to monitor post-treatment recurrence by tracking QSOX1 levels ...