NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Exosome Diagnostics today announced that it has selected Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to participate in an early technology access program for use of exosome RNA biofluid extraction kits for biomarker discovery in neo-natal and other disease settings.
"The ability to monitor patients, particularly extreme premature infants, using real-time biofluid based genetics tests, may provide critical information which is currently unavailable, said Charles F. Simmons, M.D., professor and chair of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Pediatrics. "We have been interested in exosome biology as a tool for diagnostic development, and are pleased to be selected to have access for our neonatal patients to this novel technology for biomarker discovery."
James McCullough, chief executive officer of Exosome Diagnostics said, "Partnering with clinical leaders such as Dr. Simmons and his team at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Children's Health Center is a high priority as we move to validate our blood RNA kits where precision monitoring of gene expressions is important to understanding effectiveness of drug therapy."
Dolores Di Vizio, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Surgery and an expert on blood-based biomarkers in microvesicles, who works with Vincent Funari, Ph.D., director of the Cedars-Sinai genomics core commented, "Having the opportunity to join with Dr. Simmons' initiative and apply the Exosome Diagnostics kit technology for biomarker discovery and next generation sequencing applications in clinical oncology samples will facilitate our efforts toward Precision Medicine and tailored therapy for prostate cancer. They will work together and in close collaboration with Dr. Michael Freeman, PhD, director of the Cancer Biology Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute."
The Exosome Center of Excellence program is designed to allow clinical centers already performing clinical research on blood based biomarkers in exosomes early access to the EXO50 exosome isolation and extraction technology, ahead of commercial launch. The goals of the early access program are to gain feedback from the clinical research community on the performance of the EXO50 kit, while generating clinically relevant data that can used immediately in the research setting.
Exosome Diagnostics rapid isolation and extraction technology produces high-quality RNA and DNA, including full length mRNA and microRNA, from patient blood (serum and plasma), for analysis by standard PCR, array, and sequencing instruments. Exosome Diagnostics proprietary technology, under development as EXO50, will enable clinicians to perform real-time biomarker analysis on patient plasma and serum samples, allowing for the advancement of personalized medicine. Exosome Diagnostics recently announced a partnership with QIAGEN for global commercialization of clinical research kits for extraction of RNA from biofluid exosomes, starting in 2014.
About Exosome Diagnostics
Exosome Diagnostics is a leading developer of biofluid-based molecular diagnostic tests for use in personalized medicine. Exosomes are packaged and shed into all biofluids, including blood, urine and CSF, providing a stable source for intact, cell-specific nucleic acids. The company's proprietary exosome technology makes use of the presence and natural stability of RNA in exosomes to detect and measure levels of genes responsible for cancer and other diseases. The company is commercializing in vitro diagnostic tests for use in companion diagnostic applications and real-time monitoring of disease. For more information, please visit www.exosomedx.com.
SOURCE Exosome Diagnostics
