NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Arrayit Diagnostics said today that it has exclusively licensed ovarian cancer biomarker intellectual property from Wayne State University.
Under the agreement, Houston-based Arrayit Diagnostics, a majority-owned subsidiary of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Arrayit Corporation, gains exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize a microarray-based diagnostic test using the biomarkers, which were developed by WSU researchers Michael Tainsky, Sorin Draghici, and Madhumita Chatterjee.
The test aims to effectively screen for early-stage ovarian cancer in women who are not yet symptomatic, addressing the fact that the disease often presents with largely non-specific symptoms during its initial stages, and is diagnosed only when later-stage symptoms manifest and the disease has metastasized to other parts of the body, Arrayit said.
Arrayit said that it plans to file a pre-market approval application for its diagnostic test with the US Food and Drug Administration in the "near future." If the test kit is approved, Arrayit Diagnostics will market and distribute it worldwide, the company said.
Financial terms of the agreement with WSU were not disclosed.