EXACT Sciences Corporation announced in a Wednesday press release that it has been issued a United States patent that covers the use of differentially methylated vimentin as a marker for the detection of colon cancer.
The issued patent, expiring in 2024, “Methods and Compositions for Detecting Colon Cancers,” United States Patent No. 7,485,420, describes, in part, assays for the detection of methylation within a vimentin nucleotide sequence.
Studies have demonstrated that methylation of vimentin DNA is associated with the presence of colorectal cancer. Through its license agreement with Case Western Reserve University, EXACT has exclusive worldwide rights to the vimentin gene technology for non-invasive stool-based detection of colorectal cancer and pre-malignant colorectal polyps.
"We are pleased that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued this important patent around methylated vimentin, a gene that contributed vastly to the sensitivity for our Version 2 technology in the 2008 Itzkowitz study,” President and CEO of EXACT Sciences Jeffrey Luber said.
“We have long been focused on building a formidable patent estate around non-invasive colorectal cancer screening, and this latest patent issuance provides additional strength to our broad franchise,” he added.
EXACT Sciences Corporation uses applied genomics to develop patient-friendly screening technologies for use in the detection of cancer.
SOURCE:AGIPNEWS
