Genisphere and the Lankenau Institute for Medial Research said this week that they are expanding their collaboration on the development of microRNA biomarkers for ulcerative colitis to include Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel disorders.
In a statement, LIMR President and CEO George Prendergast said that it is “very difficult” to diagnose the subgroups of inflammatory bowel disease.
"Symptoms can be common and it's difficult to diagnose the condition precisely,” he added. “Therefore, we see an opportunity through this collaboration to provide clinicians with a tool that helps them rapidly and specifically identify the patient's condition so that care can be targeted the best."
"We want to identify biomarker panels that can classify the various forms of IBD," Genisphere CSO Bob Getts said. "From this we can develop a tool that will help to rapidly and accurately identify the patient's condition so personalized treatment may be administered as soon as possible. Better therapeutics and monitoring will lead to earlier and more successful intervention."