The Binding Site Wins National Medilink UK Award For Innovation

Main Category: Blood / Hematology
Also Included In: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Article Date: 30 Mar 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Birmingham, U.K. V The Binding Site Limited, a privately-owned specialist U.K. diagnostics company, announces that it has received the 2009 Medilink UK Award for Innovation for its development of FreeliteTM, a technology to help monitor blood cancer.

The Medilink UK annual awards celebrate cutting edge technologies, outstanding business achievements and international success and collaboration across the UK healthcare industry. Having received the regional 2008 MedilinkWM Medical Healthcare Award for Innovation in October, the 2009 Medilink UK Award for Innovation, sponsored by Health Technologies KTN, represents national recognition for The Binding Sites Freelite technology.

Freelite is a unique assay, developed and marketed by The Binding Site, used for the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple myeloma (MM) - a cancer of cells in the bone marrow. Immunoglobulin free light chains (FLC) in serum are an important tumour marker present in patients suffering from MM and associated malignancies, and Freelite is the only test available for measuring serum FLC. The Company recently announced the publication of the first international guidelines recommending first-line use of Freelite in the diagnosis and management of multiple myeloma in Leukemia journal in February 2009.

Use of Freelite is increasing rapidly around the world with sales up 44% in 2008. The number of tests sold in 2008 was approximately 4 million, and the Company anticipates an increase in the uptake of Freelite to approximately 6 million tests in 2009.

Commenting on the award, Paul Duncan, Chief Executive Officer of The Binding Site, said:

We are extremely proud that The Binding Site¡¦s technology has been honoured with such a prestigious national award. This is a true testament to the achievements of our dedicated team, and the exceptional impact that Freelite is having on the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma and other related plasma cell disorders worldwide.¨

About Medilink UK

Medilink UK is a national network of regionally-based independent organisation working for a common goal of raising the profile of the medical and healthcare sectors in the United Kingdom. The network, which spans the entire UK, is made up from the following associations:

- BioBusiness NI
- Health Technologies KTN
- Erbi
- Medilink East Midlands
- Medilink North West
- MediWales
- Medilink Yorkshire and Humber
- Medilink West Midlands
- SEHTA

For more information please see http://www.medilinkuk.com.

About MedilinkWM

MedilinkWM develops business networks for medical and healthcare companies, resulting in commercial ventures and business growth in the region. By bridging the gap between those who innovate and those who manufacture, MedilinkWM increases the viability of companies in the market through technology and knowledge transfer from Universities and the NHS. For more information please see http://www.medilinkwm.co.uk.

About The Binding Site

The Binding Site Ltd. is a British based company specialising in the research, development and production of immunodiagnostic kits and reagents. The Binding Site manufactures a wide range of high quality and innovative products used in clinical laboratories world-wide. The business is divided into three main areas:

FreeliteTM, a novel and highly significant assay increasingly used for the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of cells in the bone marrow. MM is the second most common blood cancer after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Considered almost untreatable only 20 years ago, huge strides have been made in the successful treatment of multiple myeloma with new drugs becoming available and new treatment regimes being assessed. Freelite has been used as a sensitive marker for the efficacy of some of these newer treatments and has helped clinicians gain a clear understanding of how some of these drugs are benefiting their patients. Furthermore, with numerous different therapies now available, treatment decisions which may have taken weeks or months can now be made in days thanks to the availability of sensitive and reliable results using Freelite. National and International guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma and associated cancers now include Freelite results as a requirement for monitoring the treatment of patients. Numerous clinical trials are underway to look at the use of Freelite in a range of other malignancies as well as how the results may radically change the management of complications such as renal disease in cancer patients. There are currently approximately 1.5 million Freelite tests performed per annum with the number of analyses increasing at a rate of approx. 50% p.a.

The diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from autoimmune diseases (caused when the body is unable to distinguish between foreign and self). Many common diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis are autoimmune in origin and The Binding Site manufactures a range of diagnostic assays and reagents used in hospital laboratories worldwide to help diagnose and monitor the treatment of these diseases, e.g. antiphospholipid syndrome, vasculitis and coeliac disease.

Products used for the detection of immunodeficiency. These include the inherited or acquired disorders of the immune system and products used in donor selection and manufacture of vaccines. The Binding Site has been and remains a market leader in products for the investigation of these diseases.

For more information please see http://www.medilinkwm.co.uk.

Source
MedilinkWM

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