Molecular diagnostics company Diagnovus this week launched a real-time PCR-based assay to measure a patient's risk of developing a specific type of esophageal cancer from the condition Barrett's esophagus.
The test, called Engauge GI-Barrett's Esophagus, uses real-time PCR performed on Life Technologies' ViiA 7 system to measure methylation of eight biomarkers in biopsied tissue from Barrett's esophagus patients to determine their risk of progression to high-grade dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma.