Vysis, NIH, and University of Basel Enter Collaborative R&D Agreement
Vysis Inc. (Downers Grove, IL), a genomic disease management company, announced a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD), and The Institute of Pathology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. The research agreement is the basis of a two-year study combining Vysis' GenoSensor and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) systems, and NHGRI's tissue microarrays to define amplifications of specific genes in various cancers and then to determine the potential clinical significance of these amplifications. As a part of the agreement, Vysis has an option to negotiate a license with NIH and/or the university for inventions that arise from the CRADA research.
John L. Bishop, president and CEO, said, "We believe the data from NHGRI's tissue microarray technology and our FISH and genetic microarray (GenoSensor) technologies will create a greater understanding of gene function in cancer and will lead to significant diagnostic and therapeutic applications for the management of cancer patients."
Two-Year Study To Analyze Gene Amplification in Tumor Cells
Many cancers undergo amplification of specific genes, and a better understanding of the nature of these amplifications might provide information useful for developing diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic approaches to the management of cancer. Traditional methods for analysis are slow, often limited to a single gene or tumor at a time. The combination of NHGRI's tumor tissue microarray technology, Basel's large tumor specimen collection with known clinical outcomes, and Vysis' multiplex FISH and GenoSensor array technology will dramatically increase the speed of discovery of specific gene amplifications in a large number of tumor types, and the correlation of these gene amplifications to clinical disease. NHGRI's tumor tissue microarrays permit simultaneous screening of up to 1,000 different tumor specimens with one array, while Vysis' GenoSensor array enables simultaneous analysis of hundreds of gene amplifications. The project will examine more than 130 tumor types with emphasis on cancers of the breast, bladder, prostate, and brain.
"The discovery of new genes is often exciting and interesting, but the real challenge has been to translate all of the genomic information into better diagnostic and therapeutic products. I expect the combination of our tissue microarray technology with Vysis' genomic technologies will now substantially facilitate our ability to identify the clinically most relevant genetic alterations," stated Olli-P. Kallioniemi, CRADA principal investigator, Cancer Genetics Branch at NHGRI, NIH (Bethesda, MD).
"We believe our collaboration will provide significant insights on the clinical use and significance of genomic abnormalities in various cancers. The clinical outcome data for the tissues in the arrays, coupled with the assessment power of the NHGRI and Vysis technologies, is expected to lead to clinical medicine improvements," stated Guido Sauter of the Institute of Pathology, University of Basel.
"Vysis is excited to be part of this collaboration with world-class scientists. We are very confident that the results will provide significant diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities that we will quickly translate into clinical products. These amplified genes are likely to be causative of the tumor biology and are serious candidates for therapeutic targeting," said Steven Seelig, VP of research and development and chief medical officer for Vysis.
Vysis develops, commercializes, and markets clinical products providing information critical to the evaluation and management of cancer, prenatal disorders, and other genetic diseases. It currently markets clinical products approved and cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration and the French Agence du Medicament, and a line of research products, imaging workstations, and other instruments for genetic analysis.
For more information: John L. Bishop, President and CEO, Vysis Inc., 3100 Woodcreek Dr., Downers Grove, IL 60515-5400. Tel: 800-553-7042 or 630-271-7021. Fax: 630-271-7138.