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Molecular GI-Oncology
Stephan Hahn, M.D.

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What's new:

From Bench to Bedside

Asuragen Launches The First Validated microRNA Diagnostic Assay
Austin, Texas – April 23, 2008 – Asuragen, Inc. announced today the launch of the first microRNA (miRNA) test for clinical diagnosis and disease management. The assay utilizes qRT-PCR technology* and differentiates between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma). Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer present similar symptoms and can be mis-diagnosed in up to 25% of patients. The test was developed following the discovery of novel microRNAs associated with pancreatic cancer in collaboration between Asuragen scientists and Dr. Stephan Hahn and colleagues at Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany as reported in the journal Oncogene in 2007. According to Dr. Hahn, “The identification of a microRNA, which as far as we know is specific for pancreatic cancer cells, represents a major step forward in supporting new diagnostic strategies for pancreatic diseases.”……

See full version of the press release at http://www.asuragen.com/pdfs/1000-0080%20Press%20Release%20First%20Validated%20Dx%20Assay.pdf

New molecular techniques for early detection of pancreatic cancer:

Just a few cells

There is not much medicine can do when microscopically tiny lesions trigger tumour development in the pancreas. To stop this in the early stages would entail detecting just a few cells from the outside. An interdisciplinary team now wants to make the early stages of cancer visible through molecular imaging, like a “biological magnifying glass”.

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