Veridex Launches CELLTRACKS® Circulating Melanoma Cell Kit for Research Use

RARITAN, N.J., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Veridex, LLC today announced the launch of the CELLTRACKS® Circulating Melanoma Cell (CMC) kit, providing research scientists with a fast, convenient and reliable way to capture CMCs for research studies. Using proprietary immunomagnetic technology to capture and count CMCs, the CELLTRACKS® CMC kit is designed to offer data that support researchers engineering investigational therapies that are based on a specific protein or mutation.

"The CELLTRACKS® CMC kit is an essential research tool to enable melanoma cell capture for the oncology community," said Mark Connelly, Ph.D., Director of Cellular Research & Development for Veridex and co-author of the study Circulating Melanoma Cells and Survival in Metastatic Melanoma published in the January 2011 edition of the International Journal of Oncology. "Current methods of melanoma cell capture, such as biopsy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are time intensive. This new kit will automate the process, making it simple and reproducible."

The CELLTRACKS® CMC kit is an innovative enabling technology for using biomarkers to identify and enumerate CMCs, melanoma cells that have detached from tumors and entered the blood stream. Based on the same immunomagnetic technology that powers Veridex's CELLSEARCH® technology, researchers can use the kit to capture CMCs and then select a protein biomarker of their choosing to further refine their research. The technology used in the CELLSEARCH® System to capture and count circulating tumor cells (CTCs) was ranked as the top medical innovation for 2009 by the Cleveland Clinic, a leading multispecialty academic medical center and honored with the prestigious Prix Galien USA Award for "Best Medical Technology."

About Circulating Melanoma Cells

The CMC kit is intended for research use only. Performance characteristics have not been established. In 2010, 84 melanoma clinical trials were initiated, bringing the total of active melanoma studies to 515. For more information including annual patient impact statistics, please visit the American Cancer Society.

About Veridex Clinical Research Solutions

Veridex Clinical Research Solutions (CRS) is a leading scientific research organization that pioneers tools and services that may be used for the selection, identification and enumeration of targeted rare cells in peripheral blood for the identification of biomarkers, aiding scientists in their search for new, targeted therapies. Veridex pioneered the automated detection, capture and enumeration of CTCs more than a decade ago and continues to lead with industry firsts with the introduction of the first Circulating Endothelial Cell kit in 2007 and the introduction of the first CMC kit in 2011.

Veridex CRS creates customizable research approaches that allow real-time biopsy and re-interrogation of rare cells, enabling researchers to study their genetic makeup in the search for biomarkers and new, targeted therapies. Veridex clinical research products are ready-to-use reagents and supplies that may be used for the immunomagnetic selection, identification and enumeration of targeted cells in peripheral blood for the identification of biomarkers. Veridex CRS' innovations may help optimize the efficiency of clinical trials and accelerate drug development programs at all phases of clinical trial testing, ranging from pre-clinical research to biomarker assay development and market launch.

About Veridex, LLC

Veridex, a Johnson & Johnson company, is an organization dedicated to providing physicians with high-value diagnostic oncology products. Veridex's in vitro diagnostic products may significantly benefit patients by helping physicians make more informed decisions that enable better patient care. For more information, visit www.veridex.com. 

SOURCE Veridex, LLC