Procognia: Glyco-Protein Diagnostics and Drugs

A blood test that can determine if a person has a cancer disease continues to be one of the most sought after diagnostics yet to be discovered. Procognia, a company that has spent 12 years and expended close to $40 million in developing technologies based on a specialized knowledge of glycoproteins, believes that it is closing in on a glyco-diagnostic approach of this kind. The company expects that its diagnostic technology could be applicable to determine not only whether or not an individual is at risk for getting certain types of cancer but also may predict the stage of the disease.

“We are looking for a strategic partner to work with that can enable us to leverage important findings we have already made in the area of stomach cancer,” says Alon Natanson, CEO.

Natanson points out that developing a cancer glyco-diagnostic assay is only one of three areas that Procognia is working in that are based on a proprietary lectin array integrated technology the company invented.

A product that is already on the market is an off-the-shelf kit that is used for the analysis of glycoproteins. Known as the GlycoScopeTM the kit is generating more than a $1 million in annual sales.

A third project that uses the lectin array, is a collaboration with the Weizmann Institute that aims to determine whether or not stem cell lines have the potential to be tumorigenic.

A fourth Procognia program also uses a glycobiology technology, but is different than the previous ones. This project involves the development of novel monoclonal antibodies in partnership with the American drug developer Caerus Discovery.

In relation to the GlycoScopeTM, Natanson points out that many of the blockbuster drugs on the market today are glycoproteins, including Humira, Remicade, Enbrel and Avastin.

“This is one of the hottest areas of drug discovery and as veterans in this field we intend to maximize our knowhow,” says Natanson.