NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Molecular diagnostics company Prolias Technologies today announced it has licensed intellectual property covering microRNA-based diagnostics from Cornell University.
The technologies were developed at the Weill Cornell Medical College. The first series of IP includes a panel called Thymira that differentiates malignant from benign indeterminate thyroid nodules. Prolias, which said it anticipates commercially launching the panel in the coming months, also has licensed an algorithm to interpret results.
According to the New York-based company, more than 450,000 thyroid nodule biopsies are performed annually in the US to determine which ones are cancerous. Of that, about 30 percent are classified as indeterminate, requiring surgery and broader pathology for a complete diagnosis. About 75 percent of the surgically affected nodules, however, are ultimately classified as benign.
Thymira is aimed at eliminating the need for surgery to clarify nodules of indeterminate status, Prolias said.
In addition to Thymira, Prolias has licensed Armira, a miRNA technology to non-invasively monitor acute kidney rejection after transplantation. The company did not elaborate on its commercialization plans for Armira.
Financial terms of licensing deal were not disclosed.