Presented by
David Chang

Nominated by
University of Alberta

Metabolomic Technologies is developing advanced metabolomic-based diagnostic tests for management of chronic disease or high value diagnostics. Metabolomics refers to the systematic identification and quantification of the small molecule metabolic products (the metabolome) of a biological system.

The company’s lead product, PolypDx^TM, is a highly sensitive diagnostic for early stage detection of colorectal cancer. It is the first and only urine-based test with a high sensitivity for detecting adenomatous polyps, the precursor to colorectal cancer.

Worldwide, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and is a major cancer killer. It is considered to be preventable, with 76-90% of cases being identifiable at the precancerous adenomatous polyp stage via periodic surveillance. PolypDx provides healthcare professionals with a new test for early screening and detection, enabling the timely removal of adenomatous, precancerous polyps before they progress to colorectal cancer. MTI’s test was developed in a Canadian 1000-patient clinical trial and validated in trials in both Alberta, Canada and Hangzhou, China. It detects specific biomarkers in the urine, which are indicators of the presence of precancerous polyps.

Unlike current fecal-based screening tests, PolypDx requires only a small urine sample and demonstrated higher sensitivity to detect adenomatous polyps. Through research and development, the test was optimised from a research-based, NMR test to a mass-spectometry (LC/MS) platform, which is more widely available commercially. Metabolomic Technologies is positioning their test to become the new standard of care for colorectal cancer prevention and screening.