Technology

Bertech has in-licensed biomarker technologies and compounds to address clinical needs in the areas of cancer diagnostics, treatment assessment, post treatment monitoring and new colorectal cancer (CRC) treatments.

Our initial focus is on the development of an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) based on proprietary technology for diagnosis of early-stage colorectal cancer and assessment of the immune response in CRC patients undergoing treatment. Bertech’s follow-on technologies include new compounds and post treatment monitoring assays

CRC is one of the most common cancers in North America. It afflicts approximately 165,000 people and causes nearly 60,000 deaths each year in the United States and Canada. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death, accounting for almost nine per cent of all cancer deaths.

CRC develops slowly. Premalignant polyps that occur on the bowel wall eventually increase in size and become cancerous. Colorectal cancer is curable if caught early, however, only 39 per cent of CRCs are diagnosed at an early treatable stage due to low screening and detection rates. Also, approximately half of CRC patients who seem to be cured by surgery subsequently relapse.