More than 130 people attended the business networking event at the Fort Vancouver Barracks. Most of the six companies — Bowserwear, Helidyne LLC, Oasis Diagnostics, Hydrovolts, GroEasy, and RedPoint International — reported progress in business development and getting products to market. Most said they still needed to improve marketing and secure additional funding.

Audience members selected Oasis, developer of saliva-based systems for medical diagnosis, as the company that had made the greatest advances since an initial PubTalk presentation.

Organizers of the privately funded event say they are working on a 2012 schedule. PubTalk sessions typically are held once every two months.

Two collaborators will use a point-of-care testing tool and up to eight specific proprietary biomarkers found in saliva for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Oasis recently executed an exclusive, global license for the technology from the inventors who have demonstrated that 50 different biomarkers are contributory to Alzheimer’s disease but as few as three can lead to accurate diagnosis using the Oasis VerOFy point-of-care testing tool.

The VerOFy Rapid Test Platform is an enabling technology for rapid point-of-care diagnosis using saliva specimens. In this case, it will be able to accomodate a test for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis by detecting specific concentrations of each of eight biomarkers that collectively provide a high degree of accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) for Alzheimer’s disease. The VerOFy technology was originally developed for roadside drugs-of-abuse testing, but may be applied to a multitude of diseases, disease states or biomarkers for use in any setting where immediate results are required.

“Currently, there is no diagnostic test that can confirm Parkinson’s disease. Laboratory testing of the blood of patients with the symptoms typical of Parkinson’s only rarely uncovers any abnormality,” according to the University of Maryland Parkinson’s Disease Center in Baltimore.

“Three salivary biomarkers,” said Rai, “may be sufficient to diagnose Parkinson’s disease at an early stage. These biomarkers have very high specificity and sensitivity.”

“We chose Oasis as its partner for the (testing) technology based on its reputation as one of the leading oral fluid diagnostics companies in the world,” said Rai. “The Company’s experience in the development and commercialization of innovative salivary diagnostic tools is unique.”

Added Slowey, “We believe the VerOFy Alzheimer’s test will revolutionize the way the disease is diagnosed by providing a tool for clinics, physicians’ offices and, eventually, over the counter. It will facilitate earlier detection, earlier enrollment into available treatment protocols and may be used as a tool to monitor the effectiveness of new therapies entering the market. Undoubtedly, VerOFy will be used for ongoing research into this debilitating disease.”

-Richard Park

Oasis Diagnostics Corporation, a leader in the development of saliva-based collection and test systems for specimens in the laboratory and at the point-of-care, has received a federal grant to complete development of a rapid, semi-quantitative stress test through the measurement of the hormone cortisol.

Funding for the project is provided by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM.)

Under terms of the grant, Oasis will receive $325,000 to complete development of the test, which will be carried out in collaboration with the University of New Orleans and Restore Biodiagnostics in Madison, WI.
The test development is based on the patented Oasis VerOFy® point-of-care platform technology that incorporates rapid and standardized saliva collection with high quality immunochromatographic test strips, providing a system for delivery of immediate results in the field or point-of-care locations.

Phase one of the Oasis Project will demonstrate validation of the VerOFy® technology against standard control solutions for measurement of cortisol. Phase two will demonstrate the effectiveness of this new method for cortisol measurement in situations where laboratory equipment is unavailable or inconvenient. The test also aims to demonstrate improvements to research protocols for stress and lowered costs associated with stress research in human clinical trials.

The VerOFy® technology was originally developed for roadside drugs of abuse testing, but may be applied to a multitude of diseases, disease states or biomarkers for use in any setting where immediate results are required. The ease of use and simplicity of the test procedure makes the technology suitable for use in remote areas where laboratory facilities are not available, including the developing world.

Oasis CEO Paul D. Slowey, aka “Dr Spit,” notes that early detection of elevated cortisol levels can lead to improved intervention for stress and impact related issues such as compensation claims, medical expenses and reduced productivity. Reliable cortisol measurement via saliva can also be used to design and execute studies that would be difficult with other methods, or other more invasive specimen types such as blood draws.
“Over the last decade, the use of salivary cortisol as a biomarker for stress and related diseases has become increasingly common,” says Slowey. “ It has been found that salivary cortisol measurement is convenient and non-invasive and for these reasons salivary cortisol measurement has been used as a tool for the detection of stress biomarkers in many groups including astronauts, pilots, sky-divers and actors, among others.
“Many stress related statistics highlight the growing importance of recognizing stress as a major contributor to global disease and the need to develop new tools that address the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of stress related disorders,” Slowey adds. “The reported statistics and trends show that there is a clear (stress related) health and economic crisis that requires new, innovative management tools, strategies and cost effective therapies.”
According to a report on WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/stress-depression)
“sustained or chronic stress leads to elevated hormones such as cortisol and reduced serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine, which has been linked to depression. When these chemical systems are working normally, they regulate biological processes like sleep, appetite, energy, and sex drive and permit expression of normal moods and emotions. When the stress response fails to shut off and reset after a difficult situation has passed, it can lead to depression in susceptible people.”
Depression is the No. 1 occupational disease of the 21st century, according to the World Health Organization, which is brought on by constant, stressful environmental circumstances.
Statistics show that depression and stress among youth has increased from two percent to 12 percent in the last five years. Globally, three out of every five visits to physicians are for stress related problems. In addition, 76 percent of people under stress say they have sleeping disorders; another 58 percent confirm chronic headaches. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of lost workdays around the world are due to stress, according to an International Labor Organization study.

“Once we have validated salivary cortisol detection in the VerOFy® platform, our longer term goals include development of an integrated method for measuring multiple biomarkers simultaneously in a test subject in near real time and non-invasively using saliva rather then blood,” Slowey says.

ABOUT OASIS DIAGNOSTICS® CORPORATION
Oasis Diagnostics® has developed a series of tools based on saliva for the standardized collection of oral fluids and testing of specimens both in the laboratory and at the point-of-care. Currently the company offers the Versi•SAL® Saliva Collection Device for standardized saliva collection, VerOFy®, a rapid point-of-care testing platform device and DNA•SAL™, a novel collection tool for the harvesting of DNA from saliva for applications such as PCR, genotyping and genome-wide association studies, among others. Devices for RNA, proteins and drugs of abuse are currently in development.

In addition, Oasis Diagnostics® is the exclusive representative for genomic products from ViennaLab Diagnostics (Vienna, Austria), in North America and for Operon S.A. (Zaragoza, Spain) in the United States.

Oasis holds an exclusive license in certain territories in the Americas and Asia to Maxisal, a proprietary supplement for the treatment of dry mouth syndrome.

Spit Leads to Cancer Detection Breakthrough?: MyFoxLA.com

Oasis, a salivary diagnostics and genomics company based in Vancouver, WA, plans to expand on ABI’s current marketing efforts by exploring new potential markets for Maxisal® in patients undergoing kidney dialysis and chemotherapy, those with dryness-related sexual dysfunction, and individuals with burning-mouth syndrome and other dryness-related conditions. Current estimates put the number of dry mouth sufferers in the US at 25 million.

Maxisal® is currently marketed by ABI’s licensees Egofocus OHG in Germany and Zydus Cadila in India. The first target market in Germany and India is cancer patients. There are over 400 medications, including some oncology drugs that cause dry mouth as a severe side effect. By taking Maxisal®, cancer patients may be able to relieve at least one of the unpleasant side effects associated with cancer therapy.

Maxisal® was first offered for sale in the US after clinical studies in subjects with Sjogren’s syndrome (characterized by dry eyes and dry mouth) reported that the active ingredient in Maxisal® significantly improved mouth comfort and decreased mouth and throat dryness.

“Clinical data has confirmed the beneficial effects of Maxisal in people experiencing dry mouth. With its widespread knowledge and expertise in salivary diagnosis and treatment, and its expansive network of contacts in the oral health arena, I fully expect Oasis to be successful at marketing Maxisal for individuals experiencing the unpleasant and potentially dangerous symptom of dry mouth,” said Dr. Joseph Cummins, President and CEO of ABI.

“We are extremely happy and excited to have executed this license agreement with ABI.  We feel that Maxisal® fits extremely well into our portfolio of novel tools for oral health and will open up new windows of opportunity for our growing company and its partners,” said Dr. Paul Slowey, CEO of Oasis Diagnostics® Corporation.

About Amarillo Biosciences

Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. is a U.S. biotechnology firm operating in global partnership with the Hayashibara Group, which also holds 6% of Amarillo Biosciences shares and has provided over $18 million in loans, grants and equity investments. The Company’s primary focus is extensive and ongoing R&D into the use of low-dose, orally administered interferon as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including influenza, hepatitis C, chronic cough, and opportunistic infections in patients who are HIV positive. The Company has invested nearly $40 million to establish oral interferon as a therapeutic agent. The majority of those funds were invested in clinical trials in an effort to achieve FDA approval for interferon. Additional information is available on the web at http://www.amarbio.com/.

About Oasis Diagnostics

Oasis Diagnostics® Corporation is an emerging Company focused on two core areas of the in vitro diagnostic market – saliva based diagnostics and genomics.  Over the past eight years the Company has assembled a portfolio of proprietary devices and tools for the standardized collection of saliva, immediate disease testing from saliva and the collection of DNA from saliva specimens.  Oasis’ non-invasive collection and testing technologies address the three main segments of the IVD market- molecular diagnostics, rapid, point-of-care testing and diagnostics performed in the laboratory, and may be applied to a variety of areas including infectious diseases [including tuberculosis and HIV], steroid hormones for general wellness, oncology, immune response, cardiovascular disease and many others. Additional information is available on the web at http://www.4saliva.com/.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties related to product development, uncertainties related to the need for regulatory and other government approvals, dependence on proprietary technology, uncertainty of market acceptance of oral interferon or the Company’s other product candidates and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see “Item 1. Description of Business” and “Item 7A. Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk” of the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009.

Oasis was selected by the Zino Society from among 12 candidates whose commitment to new technology stands out in the crowd. As part of the award, Oasis receives $50,000, important connections to accredited investors and support in the form of educational tools and resources that will support its growth. The award was announced March 24 during a ceremony at the Seattle Harbor Club. read full article

BAMA will combine the Navy technology for rapid diagnosis of acute tuberculosis (TB) with patent pending technology, which it has developed. The resulting commercial product will be used to diagnose extra-pulmonary TB and childhood TB.

TechLink presented the licensing opportunity to BAMA, helped the company develop its license application, and assisted NIDBR and the licensee in creating a plan for further technology development prior to commercialization.

The result of BAMA’s technology license and subsequent development efforts will be a tool that allows rapid diagnosis of TB in fi eld settings. Current diagnostic procedure requires sputum to be viewed under a microscope by trained personnel in a laboratory, or chest X-rays involving exposure to radiation. BAMA’s oral fluid-based integrated immunochromatographic test device will provide immediate results (within 20 minutes), with high accuracy.

The commercialization of this diagnostic tool is especially important, since TB is a serious health threat in low income countries where laboratory equipment is scarce or nonexistent. The technology will improve health care for US war fighters in foreign deployments and benefit public health in underdeveloped areas.

This new test can rapidly confirm that warfighters are protected against anthrax in the field, and also is a boon to first-responder and health-care personnel as it can quickly be determined who needs treatment.

The invention combines saliva sampling technology with specific reagents for determining anthrax vaccine efficacy. Patented and developed by the Naval Institute for Dental and Biomedical Research (NIDBR), the invention was licensed to Bamburgh Marrsh LLC, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, for commercialization. TechLink worked with the Naval Medical Research Center to trtansfer the technology to the company. The Navy test reagents are used with Bamburgh Marrsh’s proprietary sample collection technology, Saliva Sampler. In addition to the license, a companion Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that TechLInk helped to broker between Bamburgh Marrsh and the Navy is providing the opportunity to optimize the test and gather additional data for rapid FDA approval.

Commercialization of this invention is important because immunization against anthrax is expensive and requires a series of vaccinations. Current laboratory test of immune response can take one to two days using conventional immunoassays—a dangerously long time to be uncertain about anthrax immunization in an emergency. In the case of a large-scale biowarfare incident, this test would help to quickly identify individuals needing further vaccination without having to access their medical records.