First blood test for prostate cancer to be a game-changer in clinical management

MedTech & Diagnostics News: A revolutionary cancer test aims to reduce the stress and anxiety experienced by an estimated 17,000 Australian men being tested for prostate cancer each year in Australia, while also reducing unnecessary burden on the healthcare system.

Minomic led the development of the project to provide urologists with additional information to guide their clinical decisions instead of relying on the results from screening tests such as the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test which can return poor specificity (false positives) and poor sensitivity (false negatives).

The Micheck Prostate cancer test, which is now available via Douglas Hanley Moir, went through extensive consultation and collaboration with a panel of urologists in Australia, United States and United Kingdom.

“Delivery of MiCheck Prostate to Australians in under 12 months was only possible with the support and guidance of outstanding project partners, including Douglass Hanley Moir and Macquarie University,” said Dr Brad Walsh, CEO of Minomic. 

“The 12-month program would not have been possible without the considerable support of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre with its co-investment allowing us to bring to market a useful test for the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.”

The test is designed for use initially as an adjunct to an abnormal PSA result prior to prostate biopsy. Pathology labs processing blood samples will test the 3 MiCheck blood markers. The result plus the clinical factor is sent to the MiCheck Web Portal where the MiCheck cloud-based algorithm analyses the result and returns a completed report to the pathology lab for onward transmission to the clinician.

“Minomic typifies the ever-advancing Australian manufacturer. They have taken a great idea and turned it into a product that will improve patient outcomes both locally and globally,” said Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC). 

“Minomic’s MiCheck Prostate will provide clinicians with additional technology in prostate cancer decision-making, and it could reduce the cost burden of invasive procedures on the health system, and save lives,” Dr Goennemann added. 

The commercial launch of this revolutionary blood test is expected to create 11 new jobs and boost the company’s revenues by $162 million over the next five years. 

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