RICHMOND, British Columbia, Sept. 26, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCurex Inc. (OTCBB:BOCX) today announced that the company's wholly owned subsidiary, OncoPet Diagnostics, Inc., has developed a way to ship samples for OncoPet™ RECAF™ testing that reduces veterinarians' cost by up to 90 percent. In addition the new kit safely stabilizes samples for a period of two weeks at room temperature.
Prior to the development of the OncoPet Sample Collection Kit, it would cost on average $55.00 per sample to pack a specimen in dry ice and ship it to the OncoPet™ laboratories for processing. Confirmation that the new test kit is stable at room temperature for up to two weeks eliminates the need to pack the sample in dry ice and therefore reduces shipping costs to $2.50 per kit.
Each kit includes the following:
- Letter of introduction
- A brochure about the kit
- Instructions for collecting the sample
- A list of frequently asked questions
- Return envelope
- Serum separation tube
- Sample shipping tube containing serum stabilizer
"We have changed the model we previously introduced for sample collection by veterinarians," stated Dr. Paul D. Slowey, President of BioCurex. "The biggest single obstacle to commercialization of the OncoPet RECAF has been the high cost and inconvenience associated with sample transportation using dry ice. Now vets will be able to ship OncoPet™ samples in the same way they do for other diagnostic tests. The new OncoPet Kit also allows us to market this test to distributors and vets as a product and not just a service."
There are approximately 74.8 million owned dogs in the United States. On average, dog owners spent $219 on veterinary visits (vaccine, wellness visits, etc.) annually. Cancer is the cause of nearly half the deaths of older dogs (10 years and up), according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and according to the National Canine Cancer Foundation, canine cancer effects one out of every three dogs.
About BioCurex, Inc.
BioCurex, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is developing products based on patented and proprietary technology in the area of cancer diagnostics. The technology identifies a universal cancer marker known as RECAF™.
RECAF™ is a molecule that is present on cancer cells but not detected in significant levels on healthy cells or benign tumor cells. It is the receptor for alpha-fetoprotein and is classified as an oncofetal antigen due to its presence on both fetal and malignant tissues. This characteristic makes RECAF™ a more accurate indicator of cancer than most current tumor markers.
BioCurex is commercializing its technology through licensing arrangements with companies that develop and market diagnostic tests for the large automated clinical laboratory setting, through development and marketing of non-automated clinical laboratory tests, through development of rapid, point-of-care test formats, and through marketing of its OncoPet RECAF™ test for cancer in companion animals.
BioCurex has signed licensing agreements for its cancer detection blood tests with Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and with Alere (NYSE:ALR), formerly Inverness Medical Innovations (NYSE:IMA).
For further information on these agreements visit:
http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1092562/000100487808000117/sb2amnd4s1april08.txt.
For more information about the Company, please visit www.BioCurex.com.
For more information about OncoPet Diagnostics Inc., please visit: www.OncoPetDiagnostics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The Company has not authorized the release of this information in any form that contravenes the Communication Act and will not be responsible for unsolicited massive distribution of this material by e-mail or facsimile by unauthorized parties. Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements'' within the meaning given to that term in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results.