Matritech (Amex: MZT), a leading developer and marketer of protein-based diagnostic products for the early detection of cancer, announced today that the NMP22® BladderChek® Test will be included in a plenary session State-of-the-Art lecture and two discussed poster presentations May 21-22, 2007 at the American Urological Association (AUA) annual meeting in Anaheim, California. More than 10,000 urologists and healthcare professionals are expected to attend the conference.
This year’s presentations support using the NMP22 BladderChek Test as a critical tool for regularly evaluating patients at high risk for bladder cancer: long-time smokers, people who work around particles in manufacturing, or who work with chemicals like those in hair dyes, or toxic fumes like firefighters. During the past year, the Test has been increasingly used in screening programs for firefighters, most recently by the city of San Francisco, and by occupational health groups to test people in high-risk occupations for bladder cancer.
Highlights of the AUA accepted abstracts on the NMP22 BladderChek Test and scheduled presentation are as follows:
Monday, May 21, 2007
3:30 — 5:30 PM Moderated Poster Sessions — Bladder Cancer Detection and Screening
Poster #1083
“Impact of Risk Factors on the Performance of a Point-of-Care Bladder Cancer Test,” Yair Lotan, M.D., University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center
In this study at risk patient groups are segmented and analyzed to demonstrate the positive predictive value of the NMP22 BladderChek Test for detecting bladder cancer.
Dr. Lotan has previously reported on and published results from his analyses which demonstrated that screening for bladder cancer can save money as well as lives, by finding more cancers before they become muscle invasive. If testing is focused on patients at high risk and conducted with the low cost NMP22® BladderChek® Test the money saved in treatment expense is greater than the cost of screening.
Poster #1098
“NMP22 as an Adjunct to Urine Cytology and Cystoscopy in Follow-up of Superficial TCC of the Urinary Bladder,” Narmada P. Gupta, M.D., New Delhi, India
In this study of patients with bladder cancer, a positive NMP22 BladderChek Test result during initial treatment was associated with a significantly greater risk of tumor recurrence within one year of follow up.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
11:10 AM — Plenary Session
State-of-the-Art Lecture: “Is Screening for Bladder Cancer Ready for Prime Time?”
H. Barton Grossman, M.D., Deputy Chairman, Department of Urology,
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dr. Grossman is the lead author and principal investigator of the two studies published in JAMA on the NMP22 BladderChek Test. In previous presentations on the use of tumor markers in the diagnosis of bladder cancer, he has pointed out that the NMP22 BladderChek Test was proven to identify cancers missed by cystoscopy in two large clinical trials, citing the publications in JAMA. He has also emphasized that when using any diagnostic test it is important to understand its performance characteristics. Dr. Grossman has drawn attention to the significantly better negative predictive value (NPV), or reliability of a negative test result, of the point-of-care NMP22 BladderChek Test, which has fewer missed cancers (false negatives), compared to the urine cytology laboratory based test.
In addition to the presentations on the NMP22 BladderChek Test, Dr. Mark S. Soloway Chairman, Department of Urology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, a clinical investigator and co-author of two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on the NMP22 BladderChek Test will be hosting a Lunch with the Expert. He is considered an international leader on bladder cancer detection, research and treatment.
He is a vocal advocate for improving the early detection of this disease, authoring papers calling for better education of the public and primary care physicians. “With urine-based markers that are now on the scene and with public information and targeting those cigarette smokers that are at risk, older individuals, and anyone with blood in the urine, I believe we now have an opportunity to make a major change for the earlier diagnosis of men and women with bladder cancer,” he has been quoted as saying.
Screening, especially in high-risk populations is an area of research for Dr. Soloway. He is a co-author of poster #1082 with Dr. Alan Neider, et al., entitled “Evaluation and Work-up of Hematuria among Primary Care Physicians in Miami-Dade County: An Anonymous Questionnaire-based Survey.” In this survey, only 36% and 77% of patients with microscopic and gross hematuria are referred to urology. The authors conclude that screening for microscopic hematuria may be appropriate since these patients are not automatically referred to urology and may encounter a delay in diagnosis … [and] Further prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the efficacy of screening for UC, especially in high-risk populations.
Information about the NMP22 BladderChek Test will be available at Matritech’s booth #516.
About the NMP22® BladderChek® Test
The NMP22® BladderChek® Test was developed and commercialized by Matritech, a leading developer and marketer of protein-based diagnostic products for the early detection of cancer. The NMP22 BladderChek Test detects elevated levels of the NMP22 protein marker in a single urine sample. Most healthy individuals have very small amounts of the NMP22 protein marker in their urine, but bladder cancer patients commonly have elevated NMP22 marker levels, even at early stages of the disease. The NMP22 BladderChek Test, a painless and noninvasive assay, is the only in-office test approved by the FDA for both the diagnosis and monitoring of bladder cancer. It is used in a physician’s office, requires only four drops of urine and results are available in 30 minutes — during the patient visit, allowing a rapid and accurate way to aid in the detection of bladder cancer. The NMP22 BladderChek Test is reimbursed by Medicare and many medical insurers and has an average cost of less than $30. It also has been shown to detect over three times as many cancers as the commonly used laboratory based urine cytology test.
Two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in February 2005 and January 2006 reported on clinical data showing the NMP22 BladderChek Test used in combination with cystoscopy for the diagnosis and monitoring of bladder cancer detected up to 99% of bladder malignancies. The NMP22® BladderChek® Test also detected cancers that were missed during an initial cystoscopic examination, most of which were high grade. In other clinical study analyses it was shown to detect 100% of the aggressive tumors, one of which was muscle invasive, in women with symptoms or risk factors for bladder cancer. It was also reported to detect all the transitional cell cancers that occurred in the upper urinary tract of patients with risk factors or symptoms of bladder cancer. Cystoscopy did not identify these tumors because they were outside the viewing area of the instrument.
The San Francisco Fire Department is using the NMP22 BladderChek Test in an annual screening program of active and retired firefighters for bladder cancer. In addition to San Francisco, voluntary screening of firefighters with the NMP22 BladderChek Test is on-going or has occurred in a number of smaller communities throughout the country. Legislation providing for the screening of firefighters is being considered in Rhode Island, Florida, New York, Vermont and Massachusetts.
The NMP22 BladderChek Test is also being used by local wellness and/or occupational health programs to test individuals in Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, DC and Rhode Island.
About Matritech
Matritech is using its patented proteomics technology to develop diagnostics for the detection of a variety of cancers. The Company’s first two products, the NMP22® Test Kit and NMP22® BladderChek® Test, have been FDA approved for the monitoring and diagnosis of bladder cancer. The NMP22 BladderChek Test is based on Matritech’s proprietary nuclear matrix protein (NMP) technology, which correlates levels of NMPs in body fluids to the presence of cancer. Beginning with a patent portfolio licensed exclusively from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Matritech’s patent portfolio has grown to 14 other U.S. patents. In addition to the NMP22 protein marker utilized in the NMP22 Test Kit and NMP22 BladderChek Test, the Company has discovered other proteins associated with cervical, breast, prostate, and colon cancer. The Company’s goal is to utilize protein markers to develop, through its own research staff and through strategic alliances, clinical applications to detect cancer. More information about Matritech is available at www.matritech.com.
Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
Any forward-looking statements relate to the Company’s current expectations of the Company’s NMP22 products and technology. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company’s business, including without limitation risks and uncertainties including those detailed in the Company’s periodic reports and registration statements as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees. There can be no assurance that the Company’s expectations for its products will be achieved. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Matritech undertakes no responsibility to revise or update any such forward-looking information.
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