China Medical Technologies, a leading China-based advanced in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) company, announced that its HER-2 FISH probe has been chosen to be used in a research project focusing on cancer targeted therapy standardization, as well as early cancer detection and treatment, which is sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Health (CMH).

One of the subjects of this research project is to standardize the process and procedures for the use of FISH technology to detect HER-2 gene amplification in breast cancer and stomach cancer patients to guide the use of Herceptin (the HER-2 Study). The company is the supplier of HER-2 FISH probe for the HER-2 Study.

Immunohistochemistry used to be the traditional diagnostic method in detecting HER-2 gene amplification in China, but it has false positive and false negative results. The HER-2 Study is the first study in China to include FISH technology as the gold standard in HER-2 gene amplification detection.

The company believes that the results of the HER-2 Study may contribute to more widespread use of its HER-2 FISH probe in the companion diagnostic test market in China for guiding treatment for breast cancer and stomach cancer. According to the Chinese Central Government's Official Web Portal, about 200,000 new cases of breast cancer and 400,000 new cases of stomach cancer are diagnosed in China each year.

"We believe that our selection as the supplier of HER-2 FISH probe in the HER-2 Study by the top ranking cancer research institute demonstrates the good quality of our HER-2 FISH probe," commented Mr Xiaodong Wu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, China Medical Technologies. The HER-2 Study is led by the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences with Dr Yuankai Shi as the principal investigator.