Vermillion, Inc. (NASD: VRML) recently hosted a teleconference that featured keynote speaker John Cooke, M.D., Ph.D, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. The teleconference focused on the company’s peripheral artery disease (PAD) diagnostic program and improvements that could be made to enhance the detection of the disease.
This teleconference was the first in a series of future roundtable discussions, and served as an educational means to explain the current state of PAD and the clinical need for a blood test that can determine a person’s risk of developing the disease. PAD affects between 8 and 12 million Americans, and can double a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke, as well as increasing the risk of potential limb amputation or death. There are treatments available to save lives and limbs once the disease is diagnosed.
“The signs and symptoms of PAD often go unnoticed, and as a result many patients are not being properly diagnosed. We are in serious need of new, innovative tools to aid in the diagnosis and management of this life- threatening condition,” Dr. Cooke clarified. “Together with Vermillion, we are working to develop a simple blood test that will stratify an individual’s risk of developing PAD. This will serve as an important advancement in the overall management of the disease – benefiting both the patient and the physician alike.”
“Improving diagnosis of PAD, expediting treatment and enhancing patient outcomes is a key goal for Vermillion, as well as for Dr. Cooke and his research team at Stanford. We believe that our PAD diagnostic program will achieve these goals, and look forward to reporting additional clinical and commercial results in the coming months,” stated Gail Page, CEO and President of Vermillion.
Vermillion, Inc. has been active in the development, discovery, and commercialization of diagnostic tests that have been helping physicians diagnose and treat patients since 1993. The company has continued to develop clinical protein biomarker diagnostic products which are used in the fields of oncology, hematology, cardiology, and women’s health, primarily focusing on ovarian cancer. Over their years, the company has collaborated with nationally recognized academic and research institutions throughout the United States. At the closing of Friday’s trading, the company’s stock saw a rise of 39.66%.
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