Melanoma Study Using DermTech’s Non-Invasive EGIR Technology Wins Top Clinical Research Poster Prize at the Annual Society for Investigative Dermatology Meeting
Today at the 68th Annual Society for Investigative Dermatology Meeting, a poster focusing on DermTech’s novel technology for determining the presence of melanoma via non-invasive tape stripping, received the Plenary Poster Prize for Clinical Research. The poster was selected for its excellence with regard to novel or innovative scientific research as determined and judged by the chairs of the SID Scientific Program Committee. The award and cash prize were sponsored by Nature Publishing Group.
“We are delighted that Dr. William Wachsman and his colleagues have been awarded the Nature Publishing Group top clinical research prize for their work using DermTech’s innovative EGIR technology,” said George Schwartz, CEO, DermTech. “We believe that our method for detecting melanoma simply and painlessly will make it many times more likely to be detected in the early stages when it has a much higher probability of being cured.”
The authors of the study suggested donating the financial award to three non-profit melanoma research organizations for their leading-edge work in the early detection of the disease. DermTech agreed, committed to match the amount and is pleased to be able to help support the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation in Palm Beach, Florida, spearheaded by founder Debbie Schwarzberg, the Charlie Guild Melanoma Foundation in Richmond, California, led by founder Valerie Guild, and the Shade Foundation of America, in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded by Shonda Schilling, the wife of Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.
The top commended abstract titled: “Differentiation of melanoma from dysplastic nevi in suspicious pigmented skin lesions by non-invasive tape stripping,” demonstrated that DermTech’s proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR) technology successfully harvested RNA from the stratum corneum (‘skin’) and could identify melanoma based on gene expression profiles. EGIR is a non-invasive nucleic acid retrieval technology that makes use of a custom adhesive film to sample the upper layers of the epidermis. Sample processing results in the reproducible detection of specific biomarkers extracted from the harvested skin cells for use in gene expression analysis. Expression patterns can be used to monitor the effects of actives on the epidermis or to create “molecular profiles” of target diseases.
“This is ground-breaking technology that could mark a clear improvement in the way melanoma is detected and treated,” said Harold Rabinovitz, M.D., Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine. “Because it is painless, easy to use and offers real hope to people whose melanoma might otherwise go un-attended to, this method is ideally suited to become a routine test performed in the dermatologist’s office.”
William Wachsman, M.D., Ph.D., was the lead author on the study. Dr. Wachsman is Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and head of the Microarray Shared Resource at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. Additional authors and researchers who contributed significantly to the study were: Tissa Hata, M.D., of University of California, San Diego Dermatology Department, Nicholas Schork, Ph.D., Director of Research, Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Sherman Chang, Ph.D., director of Molecular Biology, DermTech, Boris Bastian, M.D., Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco and Harold Rabinovitz, M.D., a dermatologist in Plantation, Florida.
About DermTech:
Headquartered in La Jolla, California, DermTech International (www.dermtech.com) specializes in the development and validation of molecular tests using specimens derived fro m the skin. The company’s proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR) technology is being studied in the context of tracking treatment efficacy for a variety of dermatologic and other conditions, including the effects of drugs on skin at the molecular level in advance of observable clinical results, and aiding in the diagnosis of disease. DermTech International is actively pursuing research using EGIR and its applications toward molecular diagnostics and theranostics in the areas of melanoma, prostate cancer and various skin disorder s, such as psoriasis.
Contacts:
DermTech
George Schwartz
CEO
858.450.4222
gschwartz@dermtech.com
For DermTech
Jennifer Larson
415.409.2729
jlarson@labfive.com
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