GeneNews Presents Novel Biomarker Panel for Liver Cancer at ASCO 2012

TORONTO, June 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GeneNews Limited (TSX:GEN), a company focused on developing blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of diseases and personalized health management, today announced a poster presentation based on an abstract entitled "Blood signatures for early liver cancer detection in patients with chronic hepatitis B" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology ("ASCO"), being held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL from June 1-5, 2012.

"Approximately 20-30% of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection eventually develop hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, a disease with poor prognosis and high mortality. We have identified a novel blood-based gene expression biomarker signature that can distinguish healthy patients from those with HCC. This signature is also evident in a subset of HPB patients that correlates to the expected frequency of progression from HPB to HCC. These findings suggest that this biomarker panel could potentially be used to stratify the HPB population to identify the subgroup that is most likely to progress to HCC for early treatment and improve prognosis of this devastating disease," said Professor Tan Sri Dato Seri Dr.Haji Mohd Merican, Principal Investigator and the former Director General of the Ministry of Health in Malaysia. "This is indeed a significant step towards stratification of patients for more targeted therapy and making treatment more efficient. We look forward to conducting studies on more patients in Malaysia and hope that the findings will assist our doctors to identify patients with liver-related complications much earlier for more definitive treatment."

"We are targeting the applications of our blood-based Sentinel Principle® platform to address unmet clinical needs, enable early disease detection and improve disease management. This technology is the basis of our lead product, ColonSentry®, a novel and simple blood-based test for colorectal cancer risk assessment, recently launched in the United States by Enzo Clinical Labs," said Gailina J. Liew, President and Chief Operating Officer of GeneNews. "We thank the Minister of Health, Dato' Liow Tiong Lai, for his initiative and support of the strategic alliance formed between GeneNews and the Malaysian Ministry of Health that is focused on applying our Sentinel Principle® platform to develop novel tests to address a major global health problem."

GeneNews' poster presentation will take place as follows:

About GeneNews

GeneNews is an emerging molecular diagnostics company focused on the application of functional genomics to enable early diagnosis and personalized health management based on disease-specific biomarkers. The Company has a patented core platform technology, the Sentinel Principle®, which has the power to detect and stage virtually any disease or medical condition from a simple blood sample. GeneNews is currently applying the Sentinel Principle® in major areas with unmet clinical needs such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. The Company's lead product, ColonSentry®, is a convenient, patient-friendly blood-based test that can be incorporated into a routine physical exam to assess an individual's current risk of having colorectal cancer. For more information on GeneNews and ColonSentry®, visit www.genenews.com and www.colonsentry.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein. Investors should consult the Company's ongoing quarterly filings and annual reports for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.