JW Holdings said on Feb. 17 that it has obtained a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on the source technology of the world's first "multiple biomarker diagnostic kit" that can detect pancreatic cancer early with a simple blood test.
The original technology is an innovative diagnostic platform that can be examined at each stage of cancer by utilizing substances appeared in patients in the early and late stages of pancreatic cancer. It received a technology transfer from Professor Baek Yong-gi of Yonsei University in 2017.
So far, it has used a method to examine "CA19-9," a cancer-specific antigen that primarily responds in patients with terminal pancreatic cancer. However, this is the first technology to diagnose pancreatic cancer with "CFB," which is seen in early patients.
JW Holdings acquired patents from Korea in 2016, Japan (2018) and China and Europe (2019) in connection with the original technology for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
JW Holdings is currently developing multiple biomarker measurement kits and diagnostic algorithms that include CFB and CA19-9 through its subsidiary JW Bioscience.
It also plans to conduct exploratory clinical tests on a total of 500 people, including pancreatic cancer patients, with a research team led by Kang Chang-moo of Shinchon Severance Hospital starting this year.
"By completing patent registration in the U.S. after Japan and Europe, which are subject to strict patent screening standards globally, we will be recognized for the technology and rights of early diagnosis kits for pancreatic cancer. We will successfully complete the commercialization phase in the future and pioneer the global high-value in vitro diagnosis market," said an official at JW Holdings.
