Milestone first patent for Proteomics simple endometriosis test

Proteomics International has patented PromarkerEndo, its breakthrough early diagnostic test for endometriosis, in Japan.

In a milestone moment, ASX-listed diagnostics innovator Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX: PIQ) has achieved its first patent globally in Japan for its simple “traffic light” diagnostic blood test for endometriosis.

The decision will protect the company’s intellectual property rights for its PromarkerEndo technology in the world’s fourth-largest healthcare market until March 16, 2041.

Proteomics says Japan’s healthcare sector already widely uses in vitro diagnostics and precision medicine technologies to customise treatments for patients and help deliver better patient outcomes.

The company is planning to start an international commercial roll-out of the device within months using its existing direct-to-consumer channels, while also tapping into general practitioners and women’s health specialists.

This is a significant achievement because it validates the novelty of PromarkerEndo, our world-first blood test for endometriosis.

Securing patent protection for our diagnostic technology in this region is a key step in our global commercialisation pathway and provides a strong foundation for potential partnerships, licensing, and regulatory advancement.

Proteomics International Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe

PromarkerEndo promises to revolutionise women’s reproductive healthcare by delivering the first clinically viable, real-world, non-invasive diagnostic test for a disease affecting one in nine women and girls. Estimates suggest endometriosis costs the Australian economy nearly $10 billion annually.

Its symptoms can be devastating for women, but it has historically been difficult to diagnose. It can take up to seven years on average for women to be diagnosed with endometriosis, using painful and invasive laparoscopy and tissue biopsies, performed under anaesthetics.

For the first time, doctors may instead be able to turn to PromarkerEndo as a frontline tool in detecting endometriosis in symptomatic patients. The device uses a universal “traffic light” risk score - low, moderate or high - to indicate a patient’s likelihood of having the disease.

To help support its commercialisation, Proteomics released the results of its latest PromarkerEndo trial, involving 704 blood plasma samples, to leading medical specialists and researchers at the prestigious World Congress on Endometriosis in Sydney in May.

The trial used a diagnostic test consolidated from earlier prototype models to compare cases of endometriosis with general population controls and symptomatic patients.

Proteomics said the trial delivered stunning accuracy in diagnosing cases across all stages of the debilitating disease.

The test is also being considered for use in women undergoing fertility treatments. Endometriosis is three times more common among IVF patients, where early intervention can be crucial. With fertility treatments on the rise globally, the commercial implications of PromarkerEndo could be significant.

Proteomics International has an expanding arsenal of precision diagnostics, all powered by its cutting-edge Promarker platform. The standard protein blood test is also behind the company’s PromarkerD test for diabetic kidney disease and PromarkerEso for oesophageal cancer.

The commercial roll-out of PromarkerEndo is now squarely in sight, with Proteomics targeting an Australian launch in the third quarter of this year.

With a Japanese patent encouragingly under its belt, Proteomics will be eagerly anticipating approval applications it has pending in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Singapore, Korea and the United States.

Those approvals could quickly turn from a trickle to a flood that unleashes the technology in some of the world’s most advanced healthcare jurisdictions.

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