SALT LAKE CITY--Myriad Genetics here has announced three new gene discoveries and gained two more patents on the BRCA1 gene. In addition, the company is suing OncorMed for patent infringement relating to one of the new patents.
The gene discoveries could open the door for developing new cancer treatments, according to Myriad. They were made using the company's ProNet protein interaction technology that rapidly identifies proteins with potential therapeutic value, Myriad said, and are the first demonstration of the technology's capability.
The new genes have been labeled MMSC1, CtIP, and MKK3. MMSC1 "appears to interact directly with the MMAC1 brain and prostate cancer gene that was identified by Myriad scientists in January 1997," the company claimed, while CtIP has been linked to the pathway of BRCA1. MKK3 acts as a tumor suppressor in lung cancer.