Jake Micallef, PhD, chief scientific officer, VolitionRX, discusses the science of the NuQ biomarker assay as a detection tool for early-stage prostate cancer.

The test itself only needs a very small volume of blood to be done in a routine health check. Moreover, given its significantly low cost and current availability in most hospitals and doctors' offices, Micallef explains that this test could be rolled out very quickly on a number of platforms.

With the use of circulating tumor DNA, the test looks at the whole structure of chromosome fragments, including the DNA, but not its sequence, explains Micallef. Overall, this tool achieves a higher specificity in cancer detection than prostate-specific antigen screening.

Videos

Dr. Micallef on NuQ Blood Tests in Prostate Cancer

Jake Micallef, PhD, chief scientific officer, VolitionRX, discusses a study that examined the efficacy of the NuQ biomarker assay as a detection tool for early-stage prostate cancer.

In the retrospective study, researchers collected blood samples of 537 men—half of whom had prostate cancer. The NuQ test is described as 93% cancer-specific, Micallef explains, adding that this is a higher specificity than prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.

Additionally, the test was found to detect more than 70% of early-stage prostate cancers and 86% of late-stage disease.

Jake Micallef, PhD, chief scientific officer, VolitionRX, discusses a study that examined the efficacy of the NuQ biomarker assay as a detection tool for early-stage prostate cancer.


Jake Micallef, PhD

Articles

Dr. Micallef on NuQ Blood Tests in Prostate Cancer

Biomarker Assay as Alternative to Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Detection