New VolitionRx Study Data Demonstrates NuQ(R) Assays' High Detection Rate of Prostate Cancer and the Ability to Distinguish Between Prostate and Colorectal Cancer

BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwired - Mar 17, 2014) - VolitionRx Limited (OTCQB: VNRX), a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests for different types of cancer, today announces data from a pilot study into the utility of VolitionRx's NuQ® tests to diagnose prostate cancer.

The results from the trial show that VolitionRx NuQ® assays were able to detect approximately 80 per cent of prostate cancer cases. Significantly, the trial showed that not only does the test have a high detection rate for prostate cancer, but it can differentiate between colorectal and prostate cancer. It does this by detecting the levels of epigenetically altered circulating nucleosomes in each sample, the structure of which Volition has found to be different in the two different types of cancer. For example, levels of circulating nucleosomes containing H3K9(Me)₃ were elevated in colorectal cancer, but supressed in prostate cancer. This indicates that NuQ® ELISA tests could be used to detect both prostate and colorectal cancers.

Dr. Jake Micallef, Chief Scientific Officer at VolitionRx, will present a poster at The International Society of Oncology and Biomarkers Congress (ISOBM) in Barcelona, sharing results of the latest study into the effectiveness of NuQ® assays as an initial screening tool in detecting colorectal and now prostate cancer. The poster abstract and a PDF of the poster is available on the VolitionRx website at: http://volitionrx.com/technologies-abstracts-papers-posters.html.

"This is a very exciting outcome for us as we continue the development of our NuQ tests," says Dr. Jake Micallef. "To have proof that with the right panel combination, NuQ tests can distinguish between different types of cancer as well as healthy samples, is just what we've been working towards. Detection of two major cancers with a blood test is a major milestone and a sound basis on which to investigate further cancers for panels of NuQ tests that detect and distinguish cancer diseases."

NuQ® assays identify and measure circulating nucleosomes structures for the presence of epigenetic cancer signals within the blood. Results from another recent trial conducted demonstrated that the NuQ® assays were able to also detect more than 85 per cent of colorectal cancer cases with greater than 85 per cent specificity. The earlier study took samples from both healthy subjects and subjects recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer. 

Volition is carrying out several clinical trials on the effectiveness of the NuQ® assays as a cancer diagnostic tool:

• A 4,800 patient retrospective study and an 11,000 patient prospective study into colorectal cancer at Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
• A 2,000 patient prospective study that involves patients with the 20 most prevalent cancers at University Hospital in Bonn, Germany.
• A 250 patient study into colorectal cancer at CHU-UCL Mont Godinne Hospital, Belgium.

About VolitionRx

VolitionRx is a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests for different types of cancer. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream -- an indication that cancer is present.

VolitionRx's goal is to make the tests as common and simple to use, for both patients and doctors, as existing diabetic and cholesterol blood tests. VolitionRx's research and development activities are currently centred in Belgium as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the US and ultimately, worldwide.

Visit Volition's website (www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

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