BioLight Reports Successful Clinical Study Results for Monitoring Bladder Cancer Recurrence with the CellDetect® Non-Invasive Test

TEL-AVIV, Israel, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BioLight Life Sciences Investments Ltd. (OTC: BLGTY, TASE: BOLT), a firm that invests in, manages and commercializes biomedical innovations in ophthalmology and cancer diagnostics, announced today that a blinded, multi-center clinical study of the CellDetect^® non-invasive test for detecting bladder cancer in urine, successfully achieved the study's primary endpoint for effectively detecting the recurrence of bladder cancer in subjects with a history of the disease. The CellDetect^® urine test successfully identified cancerous cells in urine samples in patients with a history of the disease, with reported sensitivity of 84.4% and specificity of 82.7% for the study's primary endpoint.

The CellDetect^® technology is being developed by Micromedic Technologies (TASE: MCTC), BioLight's cancer diagnostics subsidiary, and allows an accurate diagnosis of cancerous and precancerous cells, based on a unique combination of color and morphology by utilizing a proprietary kit containing unique extract and dyes.  As a result of these successful study results, Micromedic plans to secure CE mark approval for a European launch of the non-invasive test later this year, as well as to submit a Pre-IDE to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We are extremely pleased with these clinical results showing CellDetect's high sensitivity and specificity and believe that they provide a foundation upon which regulatory approval can be secured and be a second indication for use of the CellDetect^® technology platform," noted Susana Nahum Zilberberg, BioLight's Chief Executive Officer. "There is a clinical need for a better test for the up to 80 percent of patients with bladder cancer whose cancer recurs, since many of the currently available tests are clinically suboptimal, invasive or expensive. Based on these strong clinical results, we believe that CellDetect^® is a promising solution for the millions of patients with bladder cancer, and has the potential for diagnosing additional cancer indications."

The blinded clinical study was conducted in nine medical centers in Israel, where urine samples from 217 subjects with a history of bladder cancer were tested. The study population included 121 healthy subjects and 96 patients currently suffering from the disease.

The results of the CellDetect^® urine test were compared with results from biopsy or cystoscopy, in cases where biopsies were not taken. The results also indicated that the CellDetect^® urine test's negative predictive value (NPV), defined as the probability that a patient having a negative result doesn't suffer from the disease, was 98.5%. In addition to its high sensitivity for advanced stage tumors and high-grade malignancy, the test was also found to exhibit high sensitivity for early stage tumors and low-grade malignancies, which are difficult to identify using other non-invasive tests currently available on the market. These findings indicate that the method is adequately sensitive for the purpose of accurate and early detection of the recurrence of the disease.

Prof. Ofer Yossepowitch. M.D., Head of the Uro-Oncology Service at Rabin Medical Center: "The study results are encouraging. The accuracy of this novel assay appears to be superior over any available non-invasive test, suggesting a potential to supplant some or all of the cystoscopies required for bladder cancer surveillance. This is indeed great news for patients with history of bladder cancer, which may change their management."

The secondary endpoint showed that the sensitivity of other non-invasive comparator tests, urine cytology, BTA stat and NMP22 BladderCheck, was 50.0%, 68.8% and 17.4%, respectively. These findings further underscore the potential of the CellDetect^® test as an accurate, reliable and a non-invasive tool for monitoring the recurrence of bladder cancer.

Micromedic also plans to utilize reimbursement existing codes for monitoring bladder cancer recurrence and will continue to advance the CellDetect^® technology for the diagnosis of additional cancer indications.  

About Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer among males in the U.S. and the seventh most prevalent among males worldwide, with nearly 430,000 new case of the disease diagnosed globally in 2012. The rate of recurrence is the highest of all cancers and ranges from 50% to 80%. According to U.S. clinical guidelines, patients with a history of urinary bladder cancer are required to undergo three to four tests per year to monitor disease recurrence in the first two years immediately following treatment, and one test annually in the years that follow. Because of high recurrence rates, the cost of diagnosing and treating bladder cancer is among the highest of all cancers.

About CellDetect^® 

Micromedic's CellDetect^® technology allows an accurate diagnosis of cancerous and precancerous cells, based on unique combination of color and morphology. The technology may be implemented in screening tests and monitoring tests of disease recurrence in cancer patients after being treated. Micromedic has proven the product's efficacy in diagnosing cervical cancer and bladder cancer in the framework of clinical trials, and estimates that the technology underlying the products may be implemented for use in additional cancer indications. The cervical cancer detection screening diagnostic test kit is in the initial commercial stage and Micromedic recently completed a clinical trial to prove its ability to monitor bladder cancer recurrence. Micromedic believes that the underlying technology may be adapted for other types of cancer as well.

About BioLight

BioLight Life Sciences Investments invests in, manages and commercializes biomedical innovations grouped around defined medical conditions - ophthalmology and cancer diagnostics. The ophthalmic technologies include IOPtiMate™, a laser-based non-invasive surgical treatment for glaucoma; TeaRx™, a point-of-care multi-parameter diagnostic test for dry-eye syndrome; Eye-D^®, a controlled release drug-delivery insert platform and a new technology a drug-delivery platform for the improvement of ocular molecule transmission. The cancer diagnostic activities include tests that are designated for bladder, cervical, multiple myeloma and other cancers.

Leading key investors, holding about 45% of BioLight's shares, are Mr. Israel Makov, Chairman of Sun Pharmaceuticals, former CEO and President of Teva Pharmaceuticals and former Chairman of Given Imaging, Mr. Dilip Shanghvi, founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals, India's largest pharmaceutical company, and Mr. Dan Oren, founder and CEO of Dexcel Pharma, the second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in Israel.

For more information please visit the Company's website at www.bio-light.co.il.

CONTACTS:
BioLight
Itai Bar-Natan, CFO ([email protected])
Tel: +972-73-2753400

SOURCE BioLight Life Sciences Investments Ltd.

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