Rosetta Genomics' microRNA-Based Assay For Thyroid Cancer Highlighted In Poster Presentation At 84th Annual Meeting Of The American Thyroid Association

Rosetta Genomics Ltd.

, a leading developer and provider of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, announces that data in support of the Company's microRNA-based assay for indeterminate thyroid nodules will be highlighted in a poster presentation entitled, “MicroRNAs as a powerful diagnostic tool for thyroid nodule classification in pre-operative samples,” at the upcoming 84th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) taking place from October 29th through November 2nd at the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, Calif. The poster describes the integrated technology platform developed by Rosetta Genomics for profiling and characterizing microRNAs in various clinical samples including cytological samples, cell blocks and stained smears. Over 150 thyroid Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA) samples in cell blocks and stained smears were successfully processed and profiled using Rosetta's proprietary microarray platform measuring over 2000 microRNAs. Differential expression of microRNAs was found between benign and malignant neoplasms. In addition, next generation sequencing was performed on a set of 11 thyroid follicular resection samples in which 386 novel candidate microRNAs were found, 27 of them were also measured using qPCR. The study concluded, “We demonstrated the feasibility of extracting and profiling miRNAs from cell blocks and smears stained with different cytological stains. We also identified novel microRNAs using proprietary small-RNA next generation sequencing, which may serve as new biomarkers for the classification of thyroid nodules. Using the expression levels of just two microRNAs, we can reach an accuracy of over 85% in discriminating benign from malignant thyroid nodules.” “We are delighted to have these supportive data presented at this year's ATA as it raises awareness of Rosetta's new microRNA-based thyroid cancer assay, which is currently under development and expected to launch in the third quarter of 2015, before an audience of clinicians who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer,” stated Kenneth A. Berlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rosetta Genomics. “These data corroborate the results from our earlier studies, which have demonstrated that microRNA expression levels can differentiate malignant nodules from benign nodules, and also demonstrated the ability to extract and profile microRNAs from thyroid FNAs. We are in the process of conducting larger validation studies, as we plan for the launch of our thyroid assay in the U.S. in 2015.” An estimated 4% to 7% of the general population develops nodules in the thyroid that can be felt on examination, though fewer than 10% are malignant. The use of FNAs to obtain tissue for analysis is the standard biopsy technique for detecting thyroid cancer. It is estimated that nearly 500,000 FNAs are performed each year in the U.S. and approximately 740,000 are performed annually in Europe. Interpretation of thyroid FNA samples is not always straightforward, leading to an indeterminate result in up to 30% of the samples. Many patients with indeterminate results are sent to surgery as a precaution, despite the fact that the majority of these cases are benign. This exposes patients to unnecessary surgical risk, potential co-morbidities, and costs the system hundreds of millions of dollars.