Verisante Technology : Pilot Study Results for Lung Cancer Detection System

July 6, 2011 - Verisante Technology, Inc. (TSX-V: VRS; OTCQX: VRSEF) is pleased to announce that the results of a pilot study on lung cancer detection will be published in the prestigious Journal of Thoracic Oncology in July. The results of the pilot study indicate that the Company’s system technology could set a new standard for the early detection of lung cancer.

The Company owns, co-owns, or has the exclusive rights to all of the technology used in the pilot study, which was generously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (“CIHR”) and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Verisante is currently developing a commercial prototype of the laser Raman system, the Verisante Core™, licensed from the BC Cancer Agency which, when combined with the ClearVu™ and ClearVu Elite™ systems recently acquired from Perceptronics Medical Inc., reduces false positives by over 75% compared to current endoscopic methods.

The ClearVu™ system is a simultaneous white light and fluorescence real time video accessory which is used with a fiberoptic bronchoscope for lung cancer examinations. The ClearVu Elite™ has the addition of real time reflectance and fluorescence spectral analysis to assess the malignancy potential of suspicious lesions. The technology is complementary to the Verisante Core™ which uses rapid Raman spectral analysis for the detection of lung cancer... Verisante Technology's Press Release -

PneumRx, Inc. Raises $33 Million in Capital

January 4, 2011 - PneumRx, Inc., a medical device company dedicated to bringing innovation and improvements to the treatment of lung disease, announced that it has raised $33 million in working capital commitments. The oversubscribed round was led by Forbion Capital Partners and co-led by Endeavour Vision, both leading venture capital firms from Europe, and also included a prominent strategic corporate partner. The syndicate was joined by existing investors Adams Street Partners, Telegraph Hill Partners, Alta Partners, and Spray Venture Partners, among others. Silicon Valley Bank and Leader Ventures also contributed to the capital raise in PneumRx.
PneumRx recently established a subsidiary in Germany, PneumRx GmbH, and has begun selling its innovative RePneu Lung Volume Reduction Coil (LVRC) System in Europe. It plans to use the funds to expand European commercialization and to conduct an FDA-approved pivotal clinical trial to support a PMA application. PneumRx expects to begin its pivotal clinical trial in early 2011 and intends to submit its pivotal trial results to support a PMA application to be able to sell the RePneu LVRC System in the United States.
The RePneu LVRC System is a minimally invasive device intended to improve lung function in emphysema patients by bronchoscopically implanting Nitinol coils into the lungs to compress damaged tissue (lung volume reduction) and restore elastic recoil to the lung. This treatment offers a minimally invasive alternative to lung volume reduction surgery, and works independently of collateral ventilation. More than 1500 LVR Coils have been implanted to date in over 170 procedures. The LVRC System is CE Marked and is currently available in select markets in Europe, with plans for broader expansion... [PDF] PneumRx's Press Release -

MolMed : Results of three Phase II trials in lung cancer indications confirm safety and antitumour activity of NGR-hTNF

June 2011 - Promising clinical activity in a randomised trial in non small cell lung cancer - Prolonged clinical benefits in small-cell lung cancer - Long-term advantage of a more frequent administration in mesothelioma – MolMed S.p.A. (Milan:MLM) reports new clinical data of its investigational anticancer drug NGR-hTNF in three different lung cancer indications, which will be presented on 4 June at the 47th ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. Initial analysis of a randomised Phase II trial in non-small cell lung cancer, along with top line results of a Phase II trial in small-cell lung cancer and long-term follow up of a Phase II trial in mesothelioma, confirm the favourable safety profile as well as the promising antitumour activity of NGR-hTNF.
Claudio Bordignon, MolMed’s chairman and CEO, comments: "These new data represent another important milestone in the development of NGR-hTNF and show our commitment in the treatment of pulmonary tumours, from mesothelioma to non-small cell and small cell lung cancers. These are the results of a intense and diversified effort in clinical development: we have now ongoing several trials including a pivotal Phase III trial in mesothelioma and a randomised Phase II trial in non-small cell lung cancer. In the treatment of mesothelioma, we expect to have the final results of the Phase III study in 2013, while the results of the long-term analysis of the completed Phase II study confirm the efficacy of our treatment-intensification strategy. In non-small cell lung cancer, the first evaluation of the randomised Phase II trial suggests antitumour activity that is particularly evident in patients with squamous histology, and in patients with adenocarcinoma who received maintenance treatment with NGR-hTNF after completion of chemotherapy. These are important results, because this evidence, together with the lack of cumulative toxicity, led us to explore a new treatment option for NGR-hTNF as maintenance therapy. The first application of this new approach is represented by a randomised Phase II trial of first-line therapy in mesothelioma now open for patient accrual." [PDF] MolMed's Press Release -

Scancell : new vaccine for the treatment of lung cancer

Scancell Holdings Plc, (AIM: SCLP), the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, announces that a treatment utilising a DNA vaccine based on its ImmunoBody® technology, in combination with Homspera®, an adjuvant developed by ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc.® has produced encouraging anti-tumour results in animal models.

The vaccine, known as SCIB2, stimulates immune responses to the lung cancer antigen NY-ESO-1 and may also have potential utility in oesophageal, liver, gastric, prostate, ovarian and bladder cancers. Unlike classical adjuvants, Homspera® did not enhance the SCIB2 systemic immune response but did make it more effective at the tumour site. This could have profound implications for cancer vaccine therapy.


Scancell is currently conducting a Phase I clinical trial utilising its SCIB1 vaccine which is being developed for the treatment of melanoma. SCIB1 is a novel DNA vaccine which is also being developed using Scancell’s patented ImmunoBody® technology. ImmunoBody® vaccines generate the high-avidity T-cells that kill cancer cells... Scancell's Press Release - ImmuneRegen BioSciences' Press Release -