Ymir Genomics And Medical University of South Carolina Announce Collaboration To Discover Urine Bladder Cancer Biomarkers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ymir Genomics LLC, a developer of innovative tools for the isolation of extra-cellular vesicles, today announced a strategic collaboration with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) towards the discovery of urine bladder cancer biomarkers.  The goal is to develop a diagnostic kit that would replace the invasive and expensive cystoscopy procedure for identifying bladder cancer relapse in patients with a history of the disease.  The collaboration will exploit Ymir Genomics' proprietary urinary extra-cellular vesicle/RNA isolation technology (www.ymirgenomics.com) and the state-of-the-art MUSC Proteomics Center (www.musc.edu).  Ymir Genomics will isolate extra-cellular vesicles and RNA and analyze miRNA profiles of urine from bladder cancer patients and controls.  MUSC will take the same isolated vesicle preps and determine protein, glycan, and lipid profiles. 

"We are honored to work with Dr. Richard Drake, the Director of the MUSC Proteomics Center and a leader in the field of proteomics and glycoprotein analysis," commented P. Shannon Pendergrast, Chief Science Officer at Ymir Genomics, LLC. "With our technology and his considerable expertise, I am confident that we can find these much needed biomarkers. Imagine replacing the onerous and invasive cystoscopy by simply dropping a urine sample into the mail.  The stability of exosomes in urine makes this possible."

"The rapid urine exosome isolation method developed by Ymir Genomics is potentially transformative for how clinical diagnostics can be done in urine samples from bladder cancer patients, as well as tests for many other diseases," commented Richard Drake, PhD. "This is a great opportunity to merge the advanced technologies of Ymir Genomics and the MUSC Proteomics Center with the clinical resources of the Hollings Cancer Center to develop a much needed non-invasive diagnostic for bladder cancer." 

About Ymir Genomics: Ymir Genomics LLC is a biotech start-up based at LabCentral in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The company is committed to providing researchers with the tools they need to create non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic assays from biofluids such as urine, CSF, and saliva.  Ymir Genomics is also using these tools internally and through collaborations to search for urine biomarkers for cancer and diabetes.

About MUSC Proteomics Center and Hollings Cancer Center: The MUSC Proteomics Center was created in 2003 to promote development of new proteomic technologies. Current research emphasis is on the development of new clinical diagnostic and biomarker assays using high-resolution mass spectrometry resources.  New approaches to evaluate and visualize the distribution of lipids, glycans and glycolipids in tissues using imaging mass spectrometry is also ongoing. The Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer program in South Carolina. The cancer center is comprised of more than 120 faculty cancer scientists with a research funding portfolio of $43 million and a dedication to reducing the cancer burden of South Carolina.

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SOURCE Ymir Genomics LLC