Promega Joins Fight against Colorectal Cancer with $50,000 Donation

Ahead of National Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day (March 22), and as part of Colorectal Cancer Awareness month (March), Promega Corporation is donating up to $50,000 to colorectal cancer education, including a donation to the non-profit Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) Research Advocacy Training Program. Promega, a global biotechnology company, will donate $10 for each customer, employee and member of the general public who visits www.Promega.com/FightCRC and takes the pledge to increase awareness of the disease.

"Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers, and yet there's still plenty of room for more understanding around prevention, detection and treatment," says Heather Tomlinson, Director of Clinical Diagnostics at Promega. "For example, many are unaware that Lynch syndrome, an inherited genetic condition, increases the likelihood of developing colorectal and other types of cancer. About five percent of colorectal cancer cases are caused by an inherited mutation and as many as 1 in 300 people might be carriers for the mutations associated with Lynch syndrome. Identifying this condition is crucial not only for patients but also their immediate and extended family members who may have Lynch but do not know it."

Simple screening tests performed on cancerous tumor tissue can determine if Lynch syndrome is likely. The two most common tests are microsatellite instability testing (MSI) and immunohistochemistry testing (IHC) for mismatch repair proteins (MMR). The results of these tests can indicate whether more specific genetic testing should be considered.

More resources about the genetics of inherited colorectal cancer, including Lynch syndrome, are at www.promega.com/FightCRC including:

• How universal screening of all tumors and Lynch-associated cancers can help identify patients and families who have an increased risk for colorectal and other cancers, as well as identify tumors most likely to respond to immunotherapeutics.
• What a Lynch Syndrome diagnosis has meant for a mother who has battled three different types of cancer starting at age 44.

About Promega

Promega Corporation is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company's 4,000 products enable scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics, proteomics, cellular analysis, drug discovery and human identification. Founded in 1978, the company is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors. For more information about Promega, visit www.promega.com.