Source: Exosome Diagnostics
Scientists processing urine samples in the Cambridge, Mass., lab of Exosome Diagnostics.
A new urine test from Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Exosome Diagnostics looks at exosomes — messengers between cells that can help cancer travel. By reading the RNA inside exosomes associated with prostate cancer, the test can identify which prostate cancers are aggressive enough to warrant a biopsy and further treatment.
"The problem is, when a patient hears cancer, they want to be treated," said Tom McLain, COO of Exosome Diagnostics. "Another part of the challenge here is, urologists make a lot more money doing a biopsy than they would running another urine test."
Exosome Diagnostics' test launched this month in two phases. A more targeted launch in the New England area has made the test available to patients at several community urology practices. Simultaneously, a national study of 1,000 patients to continue gauging the test's effectiveness is being undertaken at large universities, including Columbia University and the Johns Hopkins University, as well as at large practices such as Delaware Valley Urology and the Walter Reed Medical Center. McLain said the company will soon seek FDA approval.