GeneNews Limited, a company focused on developing blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of diseases and personalized health management, has executed a formal marketing partnership agreement with GeneDiagnostics Inc (GD) to market ColonSentry, the world's first blood-based test to determine a person's current risk for colorectal cancer, in China.

As noted in a previous press release dated May 19, 2010, the agreement provides GD with non-exclusive rights to market and sell the ColonSentry test in Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. GD is targeting the fourth quarter of 2010 for the commercial launch of ColonSentry. Financial terms were not disclosed.

According to the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the annual growth rate for colorectal cancer in China is 4.2 per cent, more than double the global average of 2 per cent, resulting in roughly 400,000 new cases of colorectal cancer in China each year. The total number of colorectal cancer patients in China has exceeded the total in the United States and onset of the disease in Chinese patients is about 10 years earlier than observed in North America and Europe. The highest incidence areas in China for colorectal cancer are the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai and provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu) and the Zhujiang River Delta (Hong Kong, Macau and the province of Guangdong).

“The incidence of colorectal cancer in China has risen dramatically in recent years and will likely continue to rise over the next two decades as the Chinese increasingly adopt Western lifestyles and diets,” said Mark Han, president of GeneDiagnostics. “We are delighted to be working with GeneNews to bring the benefit of this groundbreaking test to people in China which can lead to earlier detection of colorectal cancer.”

"ColonSentry is a patient-friendly blood test that can be easily incorporated into a routine physical examination to alert doctors and patients to move forward to colonoscopy,” said Gailina J Liew, president & chief operating officer of GeneNews. “We are very pleased to be working with Dr Han and look forward to building a strong and mutually beneficial partnership with him and GeneDiagnostics.”

GeneNews is an emerging molecular diagnostics company focused on the application of functional genomics to enable early diagnosis and personalized health management based on disease-specific biomarkers.