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Epigenomics accesses additional DNA methylation technologies for early detection of tumors and expands its scientific advisory board
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| Date: Monday, 27.01.2003 |
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| Berlin, Germany, Sydney, Australia, and Baltimore, MD, USA |
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Epigenomics AG, a transatlantic biotech company, announced today that it has gained access to two new technologies through a licensing agreement with Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA and an option agreement with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Molecular Science based in Sydney, for the early detection of solid tumors. These two separate agreements will further enhance Epigenomics’ lead in the field of DNA methylation and its role in disease detection and monitoring. DNA methylation is a natural "switch" that controls gene expression giving rise to distinct patterns in cells, including those found in cancer and other diseases. These patterns allow the early detection and classification of tumors from tissue and bodily fluids, such as blood serum or urine samples.
In addition, Epigenomics announced that Prof. Andrew Feinberg (M.D., M.P.H), Johns Hopkins University and Associate Prof. Susan Clark (PhD), the Sydney Cancer Centre have joined the company’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The addition of these renowned individuals brings together most of the world’s leading methylation experts to the SAB of Epigenomics.
"These technologies provide additional leverage for the successful development of our products in early detection and classification of prostate, colon and breast cancer. With Susan and Andrew joining our SAB, the leadership of Epigenomics in the development of DNA-methylation based personalized medicines is supported and confirmed," Alexander Olek, CEO of Epigenomics, commented.
From Johns Hopkins University, Epigenomics has in-licensed exclusive worldwide rights to a package of technologies that cover the diagnosis and treatment of cancer based on genomic imprinting, an epigenetic marking process that causes some genes to be expressed according to their parental origin. This technology, which complements Epigenomics\' proprietary technology, involves a method for assessing the risk of contracting a disease, such as cancer, based on a biological sample.
Furthermore, Dr. Feinberg´s laboratory at Johns Hopkins University has discovered CpG islands that are methylated in normal cells but are unmethylated in the diseased state. These will be used in Epigenomics´ proprietary marker development pipeline; yielding new DNA-methylation based marker candidates every day. A panel of markers is used the development of Epigenomics’ molecular diagnostic products.
The option agreement with the CSIRO covers the so-called "headloop" assay technology that allows the clear detection of tumor DNA, and distinguishes it from normal DNA, in a blood sample. This is important because non-cancerous "normal" DNA in blood samples often distorts the detection of tumors using currently available methods.
Epigenomics already pursues research agreements and conducts clinical studies with CSIRO and other organizations in order to develop products to enable detection of prostate and other tumors, such as colon and breast, at an early stage. These early disease detection diagnostics will be complemented by tests that classify tumors at a molecular level and predict patient’s response to particular drug treatments.
Both, Professors Clark and Feinberg, are pioneers in the field of DNA methylation and have contributed significant research to the field. Associate Professor Susan Clark developed bisulfite sequencing, allowing researchers to detect methylation at any given cytosine in DNA. This has led to a better understanding of the dynamics of the methylation process and its role in development, genomic imprinting, gene expression, and cancer. Subsequently she discovered potentially useful diagnostic markers for the early detection of prostate cancer that could help the development of a blood-based prostate cancer screening test through a collaboration with scientists from CSIRO. Prof. Feinberg discovered the role of epigenetics in cancer and later identified the first known human imprinted genes, as well as loss of imprinting in cancer, and its relationship to abnormal DNA methylation. He has made outstanding contributions to the development of techniques that have revolutionized molecular biology approaches of cancer.
With Stephan Beck (The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute), Prof. Dr. Manfred Dietel (Charité), Jörg Hoheisel (DKFZ), Rudolf Jaenisch (MIT/Whitehead Institute), Peter Jones and Peter Laird (both USC Norris Cancer Center), Christoph Plass (Ohio State University), and Wolf Reik (The Babraham Institute) already on its SAB, Epigenomics has access to the world’s foremost group of experts in DNA-methylation.
Epigenomics is committed to significantly improving the treatment of cancer and other complex diseases by developing novel diagnostic and pharmacogenomic products based on DNA methylation. By detecting and interpreting DNA methylation patterns, the \"on\" and \"off\" signs for genes, Epigenomics can create a digitized readout (Digital Phenotype®) for each cell. The comparison of a patient’s cells against healthy and sick reference samples enables an exact diagnosis of disease at a very early stage and provides physicians with essential information to help guide an appropriate therapy. The combination of diagnosis and therapy, based on this information and robust proprietary technology, is "personalizing" medicine. Epigenomics is supported by a network of renowned academic researchers and clinicians, with expertise in the fields of cancer and DNA methylation. The company has its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and a wholly owned subsidiary in Seattle, USA. |
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