A Medical Device Daily

Abviva (Los Angeles) a biomedical company developing breast cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications of Mammastatin, reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a “pivotal” patent on core technology used in its breast cancer diagnostic test, the Mammastatin Serum Assay (MSA). The patent, “Methods and Composition for Diagnosing Breast Cancer,” is the most recent of the patents in the Mammastatin IP portfolio issued to the University of Michigan (UM; Ann Arbor) for breast cancer diagnostic and breast cancer therapeutic uses.

“Abviva is the exclusive licensee of the diagnostic uses for Mammastatin in the patent portfolio owned by the University of Michigan and licensed to Abviva,” said Doug Lane, president/CEO of the company, and that it has an exclusive option to license the therapeutic uses of Mammastatin from UM to develop breast cancer drugs.

MSA was developed from the Mammastatin technology discovered by scientists at the UM Cancer Center and originally published in the journal Science. This patent signifies the increased importance of the MSA for early breast cancer detection, Abviva said.

The MSA, which identifies and measures the amount of Mammastatin, is a risk-assessment tool intended as a broad population-based early breast cancer screening test.

MSA, previously studied on women with and without breast cancer, 98% of the women who reported never being diagnosed with breast cancer or treated for breast cancer had normal or elevated levels of Mammastatin, as measured by the MSA.

Abviva intends to offer access to the Mammastatin Serum Assay to women and their physicians, clinics and hospitals later this year.