TORONTO, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - GeneNews Limited , a company focused on developing blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of diseases and personalized health management, today announced it has been granted U.S. Patent # 7,473,528 entitled “Method for the detection of Chagas disease related gene transcripts in blood”. This patent protects the Company’s discovery of a blood biomarker-based method of testing for Chagas disease, a serious and potentially fatal disease resulting from parasitic infection. Chagas disease is a significant public health issue affecting more than 11 million people worldwide each year.
“The Sentinel Principle(TM) technology is the basis of not only this issued patent but also for the personalized health management system we are developing which applies genomic information to monitor and address health concerns on an individualized basis,” stated Dr. Choong-Chin Liew, the discoverer of the Sentinel Principle and Co-founder, Chief Scientist and Director of GeneNews. “GeneNews has a broad array of pending patent applications in diverse disease areas including oncology, cardiovascular, neurological and inflammatory conditions,” said Dr. Heiner Dreismann, Lead Director and Interim CEO of GeneNews. “This is our first patent issuance based on our Sentinel Principle platform technology and represents an important initial milestone to realize commercial value from our pipeline of discoveries.” The Company currently has five issued patents and more than 70 pending patent applications, the majority of which are based on the application of the Sentinel Principle.
GeneNews is focused 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(TM), to detect and stage virtually any disease or medical condition from a simple blood sample. GeneNews is currently applying the Sentinel Principle(TM) in major areas with unmet clinical needs such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. For more information on GeneNews, visit www.genenews.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein. Investors should consult the Company’s ongoing quarterly filings and annual reports for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: James Smith, (416) 815-0700 x 229, jsmith@equicomgroup.com