BH3 Profiling as a Companion Diagnostic For Velcade

There is a clear need to better define patient-specific treatment strategies for the use of both standard and novel therapies for treating multiple myeloma. Eutropics is uniquely positioned to improve therapy efficacy for multiple myeloma by using a proprietary assay that provides a novel predictive biomarker, BH3 profiling. The assay uniquely assesses mitochondrial functionality in cancer cells. This technology is proven in preliminary studies to predict the patient responsiveness to combination multiple myeloma therapies that induce apoptosis. Velcade/Bortezomib is one component of these therapeutic protocols. In this phase I contract Eutropics wi ll continue to develop the BH3 profiling assay to a state that can be transferred to a CliA 88 approved partner lab. Biopsied multiple myeloma patient samples will be obtained from academic/clinical advisors at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and profiled in Eutropics labs in Boston, MA, using our proprietary assay. Patient outcome data wi ll be correlated to the assay results. Eutropics will apply for the phase 2 study that will deliver the final standard operating protocols that will provide the Velcade companion diagnostic test. Discussions with manufacturer of Velcade are underway for possible collaboration.