NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- HistoRx, Inc., announced today the installation of a PM-2000(TM) image analysis platform instrument at the Biomarker Innovation Laboratory (BIL) at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine. David Seligson, MD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UCLA and Associate Director of the BIL, will direct a research program that will use the PM-2000(TM) system to develop clinically relevant in situ diagnostic assays.
The PM-2000 image analysis platform enables the reliable measurement of protein biomarkers in tissue and tissue microarrays. Assays developed on the system may be used to better understand the etiology of disease as well as to identify phenotypic differences in patient populations. The system incorporates HistoRx proprietary AQUA(R) (Automated Quantitative Analysis) biomarker profiling technology developed in the laboratory of David Rimm, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology at Yale University School of Medicine, and is currently in use at nine leading cancer and pathology research centers through HARP(TM) (HistoRx Academic Research Program). In addition, HistoRx offers the technology to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies through partnerships focused on the development of companion diagnostic assays.
“Our department is committed to developing a specialized and integrated hub for biomarker testing for the entire UCLA community,” said UCLA’s Dr. Seligson. “We will use the PM-2000 in multiple studies, including histone modification in prostate and other cancers, evaluation of endometrial progression, and the study of 700 lung cancer specimens collected as part of our Early Detection Response Network (EDRN) and Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant initiatives.”
“Dr. Seligson is a leader in the field of tissue biomarkers, and we are pleased with his enthusiasm for the PM-2000 system and AQUA technology,” said Yale’s Dr. Rimm, who is also a co-founder of HistoRx and the company’s Chief of Medical Affairs. “As part of the research Dr. Seligson has planned, the use of the AQUA technology to study the lung cancer cases collected as part of the SPORE grant should identify new prognostic biomarkers that could lead to better management of patients with this disease.”
About the HARP(TM) Program
The HistoRx Academic Research Program (HARP) provides oncologists and pathologists at leading academic research institutions in North America and Europe access to the AQUA(R) technology for use exclusively in noncommercial research. Academic and other not-for-profit research institutions are eligible to participate in HARP. Membership benefits include noncommercial use of the AQUA platform (system components include AQUA tissue analysis software, PM- 2000(TM) image analyzer, and X-Tile(TM) advanced statistical analysis package.)
About HistoRx (http://www.historx.com)
HistoRx is developing and commercializing pioneering quantitative histopathology technology that provides exceptional measurement and localization of protein biomarkers in their natural context within tissue. The HistoRx proprietary AQUA(R) technology is the first platform capable of measuring biomarker concentration with subcellular resolution to generate more precise, efficient, and cost-effective answers about the safety and effectiveness of new therapeutics in development as well as enable the development of companion diagnostic tests for targeted therapies. HistoRx services are used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies throughout discovery research, preclinical studies, and clinical drug development. HistoRx companion diagnostic products are linked to our partners’ drug candidates in development to predict therapeutic outcome. HistoRx also pursues internal programs to develop proprietary standard-of-care diagnostics that offer substantial improvements over existing immunohistochemistry-based tests.
Note to reporters and editors: A photo of the HistoRx PM-2000(TM) is available for download from the web at http://www.historx.com/news/gallery.html
CONTACT: Mary Moynihan M2Friend Biocommunications (802) 951-9600 mary@m2friend.com
HistoRx, Inc.
CONTACT: Mary Moynihan of M2Friend Biocommunications, +1-802-951-9600,mary@m2friend.com, for HistoRx, Inc.
Web site: http://www.historx.com/
