NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Oxford Gene Technology today announced a licensing deal covering 12 colorectal cancer tissue biomarkers.
The exclusive license from Inven2, the technology transfer office at Oslo University Hospital, and the University of Oslo allows OGT to commercialize any test developed from the biomarkers and to sublicense the markers to other parties, OGT said.
The DNA methylation markers were developed in the laboratory of Ragnhild Lothe, a professor in the department of cancer prevention at the Norwegian Radium Hospital, part of Oslo University Hospital.
OGT said it has validated the results obtained in Lothe's laboratory showing 93 percent sensitivity and 90 percent specificity when using tissue biopsies. Research on the efficacy of the biomarkers in blood and fecal samples is ongoing, it added.
“We believe that developing tests that include these genetic markers will permit the earlier identification of patients at risk of this disease and allow for more timely diagnosis and clinical interventions,” Mike Evans, CEO of OGT, said in a statement. “The higher specificity of this new panel of markers could provide a more robust screening tool than the tests currently used, while eventually lowering overall costs, which would be of significant benefit for both patients and the clinicians using them.”
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.