OMAHA, Neb., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Transgenomic,
Inc. (OTC/BB: TBIO) announced today that it has acquired an
exclusive worldwide license to Montefiore Medical Center’s (Bronx,
NY, US) patent application, “Method of Determining the Sensitivity
of Cancer Cells to EGFR Inhibitors including cetuximab, panitumumab
and erlotinib”. The invention relates to the discovery by
Montefiore scientists and collaborators that tumor-specific
mutations in the genes PIK3CA and PTEN can aid in
predicting patient non-response to epidermal growth factor receptor
(EGFR) inhibitors, a widely prescribed class of cancer drugs.
Transgenomic is incorporating the PIK3CA and PTEN
gene assays into its rapidly expanding menu of cancer profiling
tests available through its clinical reference laboratories and is
developing testing kits for sale to other labs. Testing of these
genes is also being offered to support drug development research by
pharmaceutical companies that have been expressing great interest
in these genes and in Transgenomic’s proprietary, ultra-sensitive
mutation-detection technologies. At the American Association for
Cancer Research meeting in April of this year, Transgenomic
described methods for detecting tumor-specific mutations at such
low levels that it may be possible to identify them in patients’
blood samples, not just in surgically obtained tumor tissues.
“This exclusive license from Montefiore strengthens our
cancer-related diagnostic test portfolio and is integral to the
continued development of our leadership position in oncology,” said
Craig Tuttle, CEO of Transgenomic. “At Transgenomic, we are
uniquely equipped to maximize the value of these genetic
discoveries by combining them with the unparalleled sensitivity of
our proprietary mutation-detection technologies. Our exclusive
access to this new intellectual property will enable us to provide
the most comprehensive analysis for predicting response to ca
‘/>”/>
