getting interesting.......

I am liking PXL more each day, might even try and get some more before it really takes off.. here is yesterdays announcment for those interested.

1/35 Waterloo Road, North Ryde Sydney NSW 2113 Australia
Locked Bag 2073, North Ryde Sydney NSW 1670 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9889 1830 Fax: +61 2 9889 1805 www.proteomesystems.com
Proteome Systems Limited ACN 080 277 998
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Proteome Systems Limited ACN 080 277 998
Media contact:
Susan Fitzpatrick
DatelineMedia
[email protected]
Australia Office: +1 61 2 90061614
USA Office +1 650 279 7771
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Editors Please note: World TB Day is March 24, 2006 For more information please visit:
www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2006/
PROTEOME SYSTEMS HITS SECOND MILESTONE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID
DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO DETECT ACTIVE TB.
Sydney, [Australia] March 23, 2006 - Proteome Systems [ASX:PXL] today announced that its
international partner, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), has signed off on the second
Milestone in its Tuberculosis [TB] diagnostic program.
Proteome Systems has discovered and patented TB proteins in human sputum and blood that can be
used to diagnose active tuberculosis. There is currently no point-of-care [POC] test to detect TB in its
active form. This recent milestone involved producing and using antibodies for the detection of these
unique TB proteins in clinical samples.
FIND CEO Giorgio Roscigno said that reaching this second milestone is important particularly as it
coincides with World TB Day when partners worldwide are renewing their commitment to rally behind the
new ten- year Global Plan to stop TB (2006-2015).
“We are pleased with the continued advancement of the PXL diagnostic and its potential as a new tool in
the fight against the global TB pandemic,” said Roscigno.
Roscigno said new and innovative TB diagnostics, such as PXL’s, remain a priority for FIND, and PXL’s
diagnostic POC platform could play a key role in the battle against TB, one of the world’s most prevalent
infections that kills over 2 million people every year.
PXL’s CEO, Stephen Porges said “the development of easy-to-use diagnostic tests that can detect active
cases of TB with a high degree of accuracy is a top priority in the campaign against TB. Current laboratory
based diagnostic tests for active TB are slow, inaccurate and expensive. It is now widely accepted that a
faster more sensitive, more specific POC test for active TB is a priority to maintain the pace of TB
reduction and achieve the millennium goals as set out in the recent Global Plan to Stop TB.”
PXL’s Head of Diagnostics Dr Jenny Harry said, “demonstrating antibody detection of TB proteins in
clinical samples, particularly those co-infected with HIV, is a major step forward for the development of a
rapid and accurate diagnostic test for active TB.”
“Antibodies to many more of our novel patented TB proteins are in production and all of these will now be
screened against clinical samples to determine the best ones to implement in a rapid point-of-care test so
Media Release
1/35 Waterloo Road, North Ryde Sydney NSW 2113 Australia
Locked Bag 2073, North Ryde Sydney NSW 1670 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9889 1830 Fax: +61 2 9889 1805 www.proteomesystems.com
Proteome Systems Limited ACN 080 277 998
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as to be effective across all geographical regions. Only with accurate diagnosis can we effectively treat
people with TB and prevent further spread of this disease,” said Harry.
The partnership with FIND is providing the critical support to speed the development of the test including
clinical material, assistance with clinical trials and fast tracking of registration. Proteome Systems has in
return granted FIND rights to use its antibodies for incorporation into an affordable product for the public
health sector in developing countries.
The facts about TB
· Once in decline, TB is now experiencing a resurgence, fuelled in part by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
· Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic bacterial infection, causes more deaths worldwide than any other
infectious disease.
· It is now the leading killer of people infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, and has also become the
single biggest killer in developing nations of women aged between 15 and 44.
· In the developed world there has also been a rapid re-emergence due to the increase in travel, HIV
and immigration.
· Meanwhile the drug-resistant strains of the TB bacterium now affect up to 50 million people.
According to a recent study published in The Journal of American Medical Association the
incidence of drug-resistant TB has intensified and is now reaching new populations in the
developed and developing worlds.
· More than one third of the world’s population is infected with TB.
· An estimated 15 million people in the US are infected with TB with one in ten of those people likely
to develop active TB, according to the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases.
About Proteome Systems:
Proteome Systems Limited [PXL] is a dynamic biotechnology company which discovers and develops
diagnostics and therapeutic products. The Company has extensive expertise in the discovery and
development of protein biomarkers with a focus on diseases for which there are large global markets and
unmet need for diagnostics and drugs such as, respiratory disease, neurobiology, neurodegenerative
disease, cancer and infectious diseases. PXL’s scientific leadership is demonstrated by its track record in
partnering with leading US and European companies, clinical groups and research institutions to
collaborate on its research programmes and develop the outcomes of its research for diagnostic and
therapeutic application.
Additional information about Proteome Systems can be found at www.proteomesystems.com.
ABOUT FIND:
FIND is an independent, non-profit foundation based in Geneva. Working with specialised agencies,
academia and civil society, FIND’s non-profit status will also enables close partnerships with industry to
target investment toward promising diagnostics best suited to meet public health needs. We leverage
investments against affordability and ultimately ensure equitable access to the products in the developing
world.
We develop and validate affordable diagnostic tests for diseases of the poor, working in close collaboration
with WHO/TDR, the diagnostics industry and other organizations. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
supports the initiative with US$30 million over the next 5 years.
www.finddiagnostics.org