Novigenix Buys Colorectal Cancer Test

Swiss molecular diagnostics firm Novigenix announced Thursday that it purchased Diagnoplex’s Colox colorectal cancer test for an undisclosed sum.

Colox detects colorectal cancer from a drop of blood by checking the gene expression signature of 29 genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The test is expected to allow earlier diagnosis and treatment of the disease — and thereby cut mortality rates — by increasing compliance with routine screening, Lausanne, Switzerland-based Novigenix said.

The product was evaluated in a clinical trial at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne and is CE-marked for sale in Europe. Novigenix plans to initially make Colox available within Switzerland and then roll it out across Europe via partnerships. — Elizabeth Orr