Newswatch: February 2005

Power 3 Medical searching beyond MRI for breast cancer cure

To find a cure for breast cancer through blood samples, Power3 Medical Products Inc (Woodlands, Tex) has been compiling a database of blood samples from women undergoing breast MRI.

The company recently announced that it has received two large batches of samples from Mercy Women's Center (Oklahoma City) since September 20, 2004. As part of a research agreement between the company and Mercy Women's Center, Power3 is using the samples to test, identify, and track protein biomarkers for the early indication of breast cancer in blood serum.

Power3 has developed a database of information from samples that now accounts for the largest collection of samples tied to MRI results in the country. According to the company, the larger the number of blood samples tested, the more accurate its team can become in identifying specific protein biomarkers that are unique to women with breast cancer.

"We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Mercy, as a major component of our discovery process is obtaining clinically relevant patient samples," said Ira Goldknopf, MD, medical chief scientific officer for Power3. "I'm encouraged by our initial discoveries using blood serum to detect critical proteins associated with this devastating disease. We continue to believe that the key to detection of breast cancer at its earliest stages lies in the changes of one's proteins."