HACKENSACK, N.J., Sept. 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Champions Oncology (OTC:CSBR), a company engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs, announced today that it has received a clinical laboratory permit from the New York State Department of Health to provide its innovative Champions TumorGraft test to patients in New York. This approval, coupled with the existing Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment ("CLIA") certification and other state approvals, enables Champions to offer its services without restrictions in 48 states. Champions TumorGraft test is the first and only in vivo sensitivity test approved and provides oncologists and patients with information that can predict the potential effect of a chemotherapeutic regimen on the patient's specific tumor.
Dr. Ronnie Morris, President of Champions Oncology commented, "This is an important milestone for Champions. The NY DOH's review was by far the most rigorous and thorough review of our clinical data to date. This approval further demonstrates the accuracy and clinical utility our test offers in personalizing care for cancer patients. In addition, the elimination of regulatory and marketing hurdles in such an important market will further our efforts to grow our Personalized Oncology business."
Champions TumorGraft is a personalized approach that is used to determine the appropriate treatment for cancer patients. A piece of the patient's living tumor is removed during surgery or biopsy and is implanted in mice. By implanting the tumor together with its microenvironment, the Champions TumorGraft grows and continues to closely resemble the patient's tumor. Champions then tests drugs or drug combinations on the TumorGrafted mice and measures the response to each drug regimen. Champions TumorGrafts can predict the likely success of multiple therapies including single-agent and combination chemotherapy regimens, targeted biological drugs and anti-angiogenics.
Every Champions TumorGraft is preserved as a living sample for future patient use. These banked TumorGrafts can be re-grown and tested in the event of cancer progression or recurrence. Champions' TumorGrafts have been successfully tested in most solid tumor types including colorectal, ovarian, lung, breast, sarcoma, pancreatic, stomach, esophageal and others.
About Champions Oncology, Inc.
Champions Oncology, Inc. is engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs. The Company's TumorGraft Technology Platform is a novel approach to personalizing cancer care based upon the implantation of primary human tumors in immune deficient mice followed by propagation of the resulting engraftments, or TumorGrafts, in a manner that preserves the biological characteristics of the original human tumor in order to determine the efficacy of a treatment regimen. The Company uses this technology in conjunction with related services to offer solutions for two customer groups: Personalized Oncology Solutions, in which results help guide the development of personalized treatment plans, and Translational Oncology Solutions, in which pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking personalized approaches to drug development can lower the cost and increase the speed of developing new drugs. TumorGrafts are procured through agreements with a number of institutions in the U.S. and overseas as well as through its Personalized Oncology Solutions business.
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995) that inherently involve risk and uncertainties. Champions Oncology generally uses words such as "believe," "may," "could," "will," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. One should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements for many unforeseen factors. See Champions Oncology's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2012 for a discussion of such risks, uncertainties and other factors. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made, and Champions Oncology's future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements may not meet these expectations. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in Champions Oncology's expectations, except as required by law.