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Precipio Launches HemeScreen® Anemia Panel, a One-of-its-Kind Testing Tool
Laboratories can use this rapid, cost effective test to distinguish malignancy-driven anemia from other causes NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 08, 2021 (GLOBE
About this update from Precipio, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":" Laboratories can use this rapid, cost effective test to distinguish malignancy-driven anemia from other causes NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Specialty diagnostics company Precipio, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPO), announced that it has launched the HemeScreen® Anemia Panel as part of its suite of diagnostic tests. The purpose of this panel is to help physicians address one of the more significant clinical challenges they face: anemia of unknown cause. Precipio’s HemeScreen Anemia Panel is a simple blood test that identifies molecular genetic errors which point to potentially fatal acute leukemia. Precipio’s rapid, simple test, performed in the doctor’s office, directs the physician to perform further appropriate hematology testing and treatment. The Diagnostic Challenge of Anemia According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 24% of the global population, or 1.62 billion people are affected by anemia1; according to the American Society of Hematology, approximately 3 million people present with anemia in the US annually.2 While the definition of anemia is a deficiency in the number or volume of red blood cells or their content of hemoglobin, there are multiple factors that can cause these deficiencies. Those factors may include iron deficiency, bleeding, inherited disease, nutrient deficiencies and others. Anemia is also seen in patients with malignant and premalignant diseases of the blood forming cells of the bone marrow, which affect the body’s ability to generate sufficient red blood cells. The importance of understanding the driver of the anemia is critical to patient care because it directs the physician’s choice of therapy. The Simplicity of the HemeScreen Anemia Panel One of the ways to rule out whether the anemia may be associated with a malignancy, is through molecular testing to identify genetic aberrations in bone marrow or blood cells. However, there are limited diagnostic methods available for testing patients with anemia-related symptoms. Tests currently on the market are either too simple - for example a Complete Blood Count (CBC) which measures various components within the blood, yet provides no insight into the genetics of the patient; or too slow and expensive, such as next generation sequencing (NGS), which test for hundreds of genes, cost thousands of dollars and can take weeks to...