GeneNews' Innovative Diagnostic Laboratory launches Beckman Coulter's Prostate Health Index

GeneNews Limited, a company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary molecular diagnostic tests, has announced that its recently formed joint venture, Innovative Diagnostic Laboratory LLP (IDL), has added Beckman Coulter Diagnostics' Prostate Health Index (phi) to its menu of advanced cancer assays and has initiated a commercial rollout of this test across the United States. The phi test is a simple, non-invasive blood test that, according to GeneNews spokespersons, is three times more specific in detecting prostate cancer than PSA (prostate-specific antigen). While PSA is currently the most used screening test for prostate cancer, it is widely recognized that PSA results can often indicate the possibility of prostate cancer when none is present.

According to GeneNews representatives, the phi test offers a substantial increase in accuracy over PSA. They point to results of one multi-center clinical study, which found a 31% reduction in unnecessary biopsies due to false-positives as a result of using the phi test. “The phi test helps physicians distinguish prostate cancer from benign conditions by utilizing three different PSA markers (PSA, freePSA, and p2PSA) as part of a sophisticated algorithm to more reliably determine the probability of cancer in patients with elevated PSA levels,” says Kevin Slawin, MD, director of Urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, who performed some of the key research that led to the development of the phi test and who also began using the test in February.

“We are excited to be working with an industry leader like Beckman Coulter to make the phi test available to physicians nationwide through IDL,” says GeneNews' Executive Chairman James R. Howard-Tripp. “The phi test is a significant step forward in prostate cancer management.” Learn more about the work of Innovative Diagnostic Laboratory.