ColonSentry™

GeneNews has launched ColonSentry in Ontario, the world's first commercially available blood-based test for colorectal cancer screening. This patient-friendly test has the potential to save thousands of lives by encouraging widespread screening, earlier detection of colorectal cancer, and targeted use of colonoscopy.

ColonSentry is based on award-winning technology, powered by the Sentinel Principle™, which uses blood samples to identify telltale RNA biomarkers for early disease. Since blood can be drawn easily and quickly, with very little discomfort and danger to the patient, blood-based biomarkers offer obvious advantages over traditional colorectal cancer testing.

ColonSentry has been developed to provide:

• a simply convenient first step for colorectal cancer screening;
• high patient acceptance;
• the benefits of genomics to colorectal cancer diagnostics;
• the opportunity to enrich the number of cancers detected by colonoscopy.

We chose colorectal cancer as our first commercial application of the Sentinel Principle™ because of the importance of the disease, the potential to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality due to enhanced patient compliance with a blood test vs. existing tests (which depend on endoscopy or collection of fecal material), and the large population base for which testing is warranted.

For more information about ColonSentry, please visit the product website at: www.colonsentry.com