Connection Between Epigenome, Selective Mutability, Evolution, and Human Disease
Li, Harris et al., PLoS Genetics
Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and elsewhere propose a "connection between the epigenome, selective mutability, evolution, and human disease" based on the findings of their study on associations of structural mutability with germline DNA methylation and with non-allelic homologous recombination mediated by low-copy repeats. "Combined evidence from four human sperm methylome maps, human genome evolution, structural polymorphisms in the human population, and previous genomic and disease studies consistently points to a strong association of germline hypomethylation and genomic instability," the Baylor-led team writes.
Iris Renames AlliedPath as Part of Plan to Increase Test Customers
Iris International has changed the name of its recently acquired AlliedPath business to Arista Laboratories, and will use the unit as a "direct commercial distribution channel" to help sell its NADiA nucleic acid-detection immunoassay platform.
AlliedPath, a high-complexity CLIA molecular path lab that specializes in assaying solid tumors, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iris in late July when the company bought it for as much as $6 million.
Now called Arista Labs, the subsidiary is being marketed as a partner to community-based path labs "that do not have the expertise, instrumentation, or the test volume necessary to justify the capital investment required to offer these high complexity esoteric tests," Iris said in a statement today.
To this end, the unit will provide a "direct commercial distribution channel" to help sell Iris' NADiA platform, beginning with the ProsVue assay, a prostate cancer prognostic that is currently under FDA review and is expected to be on the market in the US sometime in 2011.
This strategy will enable Iris to "control all aspects of commercial operations for NADiA's planned platform launch, including value-based pricing, interaction with third party payors, and the ability to accelerate marketing and communication efforts," the company said.
Since acquiring Arista, Iris, based in Chatsworth, Calif., has hired 10 sales and marketing staffers and 20 lab employees, including lab techs. The unit is "already processing" molecular pathology solid-tumor specimens for lung and colorectal cancer, and "plans" to begin offering a breast cancer assay by the end of the year.
In the fourth quarter, Iris also "expects" Arista to begin offering flow-cytometry services designed to detect and monitor hematological cancers, and by the end of the year will add FISH testing to expand the lab's esoteric-test menu.
Lastly, Iris said it is "pursuing opportunities" with pharmaceutical companies to provide clinical-trial services.
"We plan to build a relationship between our Arista Laboratories division and our Iris Molecular Diagnostics group and to accelerate the release of the new NADiA applications and build relationships with pathologists, urologists, oncologists, and other healthcare professionals, in order to deliver personalized medicine solutions for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of cancer," Iris said.
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