Rna Diagnostics News - Spring 2012

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Spring 2012 Newsletter

Welcome to RNA Diagnostics' Newsletter

RNA Diagnostics Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company developing diagnostic tools to assist in the management of cancer chemotherapy.

The company’s first product, RNA Disruption Assay™ (RDA™), is a novel test that helps oncologists to rapidly assess the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy. RDA™ can determine whether chemotherapy is working effectively in the individual patient early in treatment thereby guiding clinical decision making.

We thank you for your interest in RNA Diagnostics and welcome you to our first newsletter. We intend to keep you up to date on the progress we are making in advancing RDA™ to the clinic. This issue covers exciting news related to a prospective clinical trial, the expansion of our Clinical Advisory Board as well as the closing of an important financing round.

Dr. Harry Bear appointed to Clinical Advisory Board

Rna Diagnostics is honored to have Dr. Harry D. Bear join the company’s Clinical Advisory Board.

Dr. Bear is the Walter Lawrence Jr. Distinguished Professor of Oncology, Chairman, Division of Surgical Oncology Virginia Commonwealth University, and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia, USA. He is a member of the NSABP Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Bear received the Distinguished Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award from the NSABP Foundation, Inc. in 2009. The NSABP is a U.S.A based, national cooperative group that develops and conducts clinical studies to improve treatments and outcomes for breast and colorectal cancers. Its acronym stands for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.

During the past two decades, Dr. Bear, a researcher and surgeon, has led international trials that have resulted in major changes in the treatment of breast cancer and dramatically increased the chance for breast conservation among women with breast cancer.

“This new diagnostic tool has great potential to help oncologists treating breast cancer patients make earlier assessments about whether the treatment being used is going to be successful. If the test says “yes,” the treatment would continue on course; but if the answer is “no,” then a change in therapeutic approach (either different drugs or surgery)might be more appropriate.” Said Dr. Bear.

Clinical Trial Approved

Rna Diagnostics has received word that The Tumor RDA Study has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada.

The primary goal of this clinical trial is to determine the optimal time to use the Tumor RNA Disruption Assay (RDA™) as a predictor of pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The secondary objectives are: to determine if the Tumor RDA score is accurate at predicting pCR to a second chemotherapy regimen if a residual palpable tumor is present in patients with suboptimal response to a first chemotherapy regimen.

Thirty patients with biopsy proven unresected breast cancer eligible for neoadjuvant chemotherapy are expected to participate in the study with enrollment commencing before the end of June.

Syndicated Angel Investor Round Closes

The Globe and Mail reported that Toronto-based Rna Diagnostics Inc. has received $925,000 in funding from an investment syndicate of four Ontario angel investor groups.

The molecular diagnostics company, which is developing diagnostic tools to aid cancer chemotherapy management, received the money from York Angel Investors, the Golden Triangle Angel Network, the Georgian Angel Network, and the Niagara Angel Network.

We are delighted with the investment," said Rna president and CEO Ken Pritzker in a statement. "This funding will support the ongoing development of RDA, a groundbreaking diagnostic test that will improve patient outcomes and reduce breast cancer treatment costs."

RnaDx to present at IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference, Brussels, May 3-5

Rna Diagnostics Clinical Advisory Board Chair, Dr. Maureen Trudeau will be presenting a scientific abstract entitled “A novel RNA test to guide primary systemic breast cancer chemotherapy” Rna Diagnostics presence at IMPAKT is an important milestone for the company as Europe represents an important lead market for RDA™

IMPAKT is an annual conference that was launched in 2009 by the Breast International Group (BIG) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), in collaboration with a multidisciplinary alliance of European breast cancer organizations and patient groups. This meeting will also involve Rna Diagnostics meeting with European key opinion leaders (KOL’s) focused on improving outcomes for breast cancer patients.

Quick Fact

The annual costs of breast cancer in the USA are expected to reach $ 20B by 2020.

OGI Invests in RnaDx

Toronto, March 1 – Through its Pre-Commercialization Business Development Fund (PBDF), the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has invested in Rna Diagnostics Inc., an early-stage molecular diagnostics company developing assays aimed at assisting in the management of cancer chemotherapy. The company will use the PBDF investment to further develop and validate their lead product, the RNA Disruption Assay™ (RDA™).