JW Holdings Acquires U.S. Patent on Its Technology for Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer

JW Holdings announced on Feb. 17 that it has obtained a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its technology to produce the world's first multiple biomarker diagnostic kit that can detect pancreatic cancer early through a simple blood test.

The company has developed an innovative diagnostic platform that enables the screening of cancer by stages by simultaneously using substances obtained from a patient in early and late stages of pancreatic cancer. The company acquired the technology from Professor Baek Yung-ki of Yonsei University in 2017.

Until now, doctors have used a method to test CA19-9, a cancer-specific antigen that responds mainly in patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer. The diagnostic kit is the industry’s first product that diagnoses pancreatic cancer using complement factor B (CFB), which is found in early-stage patients.

JW Holdings registered its patent in Japan (2018), China, and Europe (2019), following Korea in 2016.

JW Holdings is currently developing a multi-biomarker diagnostic kit and a diagnostic algorithm including CFB and CA19-9, through its subsidiary JW Bioscience. In addition, this year, it will conduct exploratory clinical trials on 500 patients including pancreatic cancer patients with a research team led by Kang Chang-moo at Shinchon Severance Hospital.