Edinburgh Molecular Imaging starts second phase of bowel cancer trial

Edinburgh Molecular Imaging (EM Imaging), the clinical phase biotechnology company focused on enabling image-guided therapy, announces it has started a pivotal phase IIb clinical trialwith its novel compound, EMI-137, in patients with high suspicion of bowel cancer. 

EMI has developed a novel fluorescent Optical Imaging Agent - EMI-137 - which targets and “lights-up” the cancer cells, helping surgeons to more easily identify and remove suspicious tumours.

Deborah Alsina, MBE, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, added:

“More than 9 out of 10 people will survive bowel cancer if it is detected at an early stage when treatments are more likely to be effective.  Optical imaging techniques, using agents like EMI-137, could potentially reduce the number of polyps missed during colonoscopy, therefore significantly improving outcomes for patients. This next phase of the research will help us understand whether this method could be introduced routinely in practice and offer real benefits to patients. It is vital that the UK and Europe continue to invest in studies and clinical trials to keep finding quicker and more effective ways to identify and diagnose patients early when the disease is curable.”

The phase IIb study will be conducted by the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR), a world renowned clinical research organization based in Leiden, in close collaboration with the Leiden University Medical Centre and the University Medical Center of Gröningen, The Netherlands.  The Clinical Investigators at these sites are Professor James Hardwick and Dr Wouter Nagengest, who are among Europe’s leading clinicians advancing the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.

• Learn more about our research in bowel cancer
• Donate to help fund our research priorities