Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Locally Produces M2 Pyruvate Kinase (M2-PK)
The M2-PK test is a non-invasive stool test that can be used for the early detection of colorectal cancers and polyps which are known to be the precursors of colorectal cancer. Increased M2-PK values can sometimes also occur in severe inflammatory diseases which must be excluded by differential diagnosis.
Hadi Bagheri, the managing director of the knowledge-based company in Iran said in an interview that the production of early disease diagnosis kits such as a heart panel to diagnose a heart attack, an infectious panel to diagnose a stomach infection, hepatitis and other infections are some of the products of this company. “Importing Kits into Iran costs $20 million each year, and about 60% of the market of these kits is supplied through imports and 30% through assembling them.”
He said that the price of the detection kit produced in their companyis 30-40% lower than Chinese equivalents, while their quality is the same as the similar European products.
He added that the M2 Pyruvate Kinase (M2-PK) is their special product which is for early detection of colorectal cancers, noting that “This kit has only one German manufacturer, which is not imported to Iran due to sanctions.”
The managing director of the Iranian knowledge-based company considered M2-PK as a tumor marker that is excreted through feces in digestive cancer, including colon cancer.
Emphasizing that the kit can be used in laboratories and clinics, Bagheri explained about how it works, saying, “This kit detects cancer through stool samples. Currently, invasive colonoscopy is used to diagnose this cancer, which is also expensive. Moreover, a lot of people do not want to be screened through colonoscopy. This is despite the fact that before a person goes for a colonoscopy, with a simple stool sample, the occurrence of colon cancer is diagnosed in them, and after the result of the kit is positive, the person will be sent for a colonoscopy.”
“This kit is able to identify colon cancer in the early stage of the disease, and the more intensive the test, the more advanced the cancer is,” the researcher further noted.
Bagheri called colon cancer the third most common cancer among all types of cancer and the second cause of death from cancer, adding, “If it is detected in the early stages, the chance of treatment increases. Meanwhile, according to the guidelines announced the adults over 50 should be screened once for colon cancer.
He went on to note that M2-PK can detect cancer in 10 minutes.
“This kit is in clinical trial phase in Shariati and Taleghani hospitals in Tehran, and if it passes all the phases successfuly, it will enter the market next year,” he said.
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