Concord, CA, May 14, 2013 – Biocare Medical is proud to announce the availability of a new Uroplakin II mouse monoclonal antibody (IVD). Studies have shown UP II mRNA to be expressed in both bladder cancer tissues and peripheral blood of patients with primary and metastatic urothelial carcinoma.
Urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder typically originates in the urothelium and accounts for more than 90% of all bladder tumors. Biomarkers expressed in the urothelium, such as uroplakins, could be predictive markers of UC of the bladder. Pathologists have used Uroplakin III [AU1] to establish urothelial origin of the bladder; however use of UP III is limited due to its poor sensitivity. UP II was found to have 79% (44/56) sensitivity for bladder UC compared to 34% (19/56) for UP III [AU1] in a joint study conducted by Biocare Medical, Mercy Health System and Indiana University School of Medicine.
“With the introduction of Uroplakin II as a highly specific and sensitive potential marker of urothelial cancer of the bladder, Biocare Medical continues to improve the IHC resources available for pathologists to establish urothelial origin of the bladder. With bladder cancer being the sixth most common occurring cancer in the United States and given its high recurrence rate, a specific and sensitive tissue-based biomarker for early diagnosis and monitoring is a major clinical need,” says Dr. David Tacha, Chief Scientific Officer of Biocare Medical.
About Uroplakin II
A new mouse monoclonal Uroplakin II antibody [BC21] exhibits an increased staining sensitivity (79%, 44/59) when compared to Uroplakin III [AU1] (34%, 19/56) in cases of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. With the exception of bladder and ureter, Uroplakin II [BC21] was found to be 100% specific when evaluated in various normal and neoplastic tissues. Uroplakin II [BC21] is a highly specific antibody that may be useful in identifying tumors of urothelial origin. Patent Pending.
UPII (Left) and UPIII (Right) staining on Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.
About Biocare Medical
Biocare Medical, LLC is an innovator in developing and supplying world class automated
immunohistochemistry (IHC) instrumentation, and the full range of reagents for IHC and ISH lab testing. Biocare Medical is the market leader in simultaneous Multiplex IHC and antibody development, which aids in the assessment of clinical cases and accelerates turnaround time. The company’s customers include clinical histology laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and biotechnology companies as well as academic, government, military, and other non-profit laboratories. Biocare Medical offers an expanding portfolio of integrated products to address the rapidly growing cancer and infectious disease diagnostic and research markets using tissue immunostaining and in situ hybridization methods. Biocare Medical is headquartered and has manufacturing facilities in Concord, California, and has a global distribution network. For more information, please visit www.biocare.net.