Nordiag achieved outstanding results in the first phase of a research study conducted under the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme. The company managed to extract DNA from more than 85 per cent of the received faecal samples, and the amount of DNA was sufficient for further analysis in 77 per cent of the samples. “Scottish Bowel Screening Centre” characterizes the results as remarkable.

Nordiag received 293 samples originally collected for testing with FOBT (faecal occult blood test), and managed to extract DNA in 254 of the samples. In 225 of the samples there was extracted enough DNA to carry out further analysis in order to identify mutations that occur when cancer is under development.

“Extraction of DNA from these small samples of faeces, which were collected onto very simple and inexpensive card-based devices, is remarkable. This bodes well for the future since participation, especially in faecal tests, depends very much on the simplicity of specimen collection. We eagerly anticipate the results of analyses of the extracted DNA”, said Prof. Callum Fraser, at the Department of Biochemical Medicine in NHS Tayside. He is Consultant Clinical Biochemist, Scottish Bowel Screening Centre Laboratory and responsible for the study from the Scottish health authorities.

In the next phase in the Scottish study Nordiag will use its genetic diagnostic test, Genefec™, on DNA from the samples. The data from this test will be compared with data from other tests from on the same samples, and submitted for publication in a international medical journal.

- We expect that our test Genefec™ will prove more specific than the FOBT-test with regards to bowel cancer, said CEO Christian Horn in NorDiag. – The data from this study will be important for further market development with regards to our genetic test in the emerging screening-markets covering large parts of the population.

Scotland is the first country in Europe to initiate a bowel cancer screening-programme, and British authorities has allocated funding for extending bowel cancer screening to cover United Kingdom as a whole. Governments in several other European countries are in a startup position with similar screening-programmes.

For further information, please contact;
CEO Christian Horn in NorDiag ASA, phone: +47 90 16 31 53

Background information:
NorDiag ASA entered in June 2006 into collaboration with NHS Tayside in Dundee, Scotland, to analyze samples obtained during a Scottish research study conducted during the pilot of a screening programme for bowel cancer.

In May 2005, Scotland launched Phase 1 of a proposed national screening programme using non-invasive testing for bowel cancer. The programme will target the eligible population between 50-74 years, using a FOBT (faecal occult blood test) done at home for the initial screening. NorDiag will use its genetic diagnostic test, Genefec, on samples from individuals showing up positive on FOBT to assess whether genetic testing can further direct the investigation to those individuals most likely to actually develop cancer.

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, affecting 1 in 20 individuals in the western world. Early detection is key to both survival rates and treatment costs, and several European countries are therefore planning nationwide screening for early indicators of colorectal cancer. In Europe alone, the number of individuals in the relevant age group is estimated at more than 80 million, and NorDiag`s Genefec is currently the only non-invasive genetic test available for detection of colorectal cancer in this region.

About the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme:
The bowel (colorectal) cancer screening pilot in Scotland began in April 2000 in NHS Tayside, NHS Grampian and NHS Fife. All men and women aged between 50 and 69 years who were registered with a GP Practice were invited. The pilot is now in its third round, which is the first phase of national rollout. On 30 August 2005, Andy Kerr the Scottish Health Minister, announced that the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme will roll out to the rest of Scotland from 2007 onwards inviting all eligible men and women between 50 - 74 years. All individuals will be sent a guaiac-based FOBT kit. Tests will be returned to the single screening centre for Scotland, which will be based in Dundee at King`s Cross. If the overall result of screening is positive, then the individual will be referred to their local hospital for further assessment and may be offered a colonoscopy, if appropriate.
See: www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/mels/HDL2006_03.pdf for more info.

About NorDiag ASA:
NorDiag is a biotechnology company with focus on early detection of cancer. The company`s first products are Genefec and GeneOpsy, for genetic diagnostics of colorectal cancer. In addition the company has R&D programmes for new technology and products for lung- and pancreatic cancer. NorDiag is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with the ticker NORD. See www.nordiag.no