TORONTO, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - ChondroGene Limited announced today that a paper entitled "Comparative gene expression analysis of blood and brain provides concurrent validation of SELENBP1 up-regulation in schizophrenia" has been published in the October 25th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). The paper outlines a study that compared gene expression profiles observed in brain tissue of patients with schizophrenia and controls, and related these changes in the brain to gene expression changes observed using ChondroGene's Sentinel Principle in blood. The abstract is available on the PNAS website at www.pnas.org.
Gene expression profiles were obtained from post-mortem brain tissue samples of 19 confirmed schizophrenia subjects and 27 control samples. Gene expression profiles were also obtained from blood samples from a separate set of 30 schizophrenia patients and 24 control subjects. In the brain tissue study, 177 genes were differentially expressed between disease and control, while 123 genes were found to be differentially expressed in the blood group. There were 6 common genes that were differentially expressed in the tissue and blood groups. Based on the experimental results, the authors conclude that "The continued application of this approach in other brain regions and populations should facilitate the discovery of highly reliable and reproducible candidate risk genes and biomarkers for schizophrenia. The identification of valid peripheral biomarkers for schizophrenia may ultimately facilitate early identification, intervention, and prevention efforts as well."
"We are extremely pleased with the results of the study and the publication in PNAS. Indications are that our approach will result in the development of blood-based biomarkers for the early detection and diagnosis of schizophrenia and other mental disorders," stated K. Wayne Marshall, President and CEO of ChondroGene. "With that in mind, we will continue to work with leading researchers in the field to further the understanding of this and other mental disorders. We will also be working to identify suitable commercial partners to assist in the commercialization of any resultant blood-based tests in the area of mental disorders, as we focus our internal efforts on developing blood-based cancer diagnostics."
About ChondroGene
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ChondroGene is focussed on the application of functional genomics to enable early diagnosis and personalized therapeutic intervention based on disease-specific biomarkers. The Company has developed a novel approach, the Sentinel Principle, to detect and stage virtually any disease or medical condition from a simple blood sample. ChondroGene is currently applying the Sentinel Principle in major areas with unmet clinical needs such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. For more information on ChondroGene, visit www.chondrogene.com.
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ChondroGene LimitedCONTACT: Dr. K. Wayne Marshall, President & CEO, (416) 650-0060 x234,wmarshall@chondrogene.com; Bruno Maruzzo, Corporate Development, (416)650-0060 x237, bmaruzzo@chondrogene.com