The University of Michigan Tuesday announced an agreement on the commercial development of prostate cancer diagnostics with Research Triangle Park, N.C.-based Metabolon Inc.
The agreement puts in place a number of activities to help move forward Metabolon’s Prostarix line of prostate cancer diagnostics, including an exclusive license for Metabolon to use prostate cancer aggressitivity markers that were discovered in a collaborative research project between the University of Michigan and Metabolon.
This intellectual property will provide the company with a significant competitive advantage in the field of prostate cancer diagnosis and will serve as the basis for Prostarix -- which is expected to be launched in late 2009.
The agreement also includes a sponsored research agreement with Dr. Arun Sreekumar, assistant professor of pathology at the University of Michigan, aimed at a deeper understanding into the role the biomarkers play in the onset of aggressiveness.
“As the second major cause of cancer-related death in the US, prostate cancer creates unique challenges to accurately predict the likelihood of metastasis," said Metabolon CEO John Ryals. "Metabolon continues to work with leading researchers like those at the University of Michigan to develop easy-to-use diagnostic tools to better understand aggressiveness and metastatic potential of prostate cancer and to help doctors and patients make critical treatment decisions.”
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer found in men in the United States, with one in six men expected to develop the disease during his lifetime. Over 185,000 men are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Development and progression of the disease are monitored using a prostate specific antigen test. Once patients are diagnosed, there are several options: active surveillance, androgen deprivation or radiation therapy, or prostatectomy. These options are based on the likelihood the tumor will become metastatic and spread. However, predicting the likelihood of metastasis has traditionally been very difficult.
Also, Metabolon announced that Arul M. Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology and S.P. Hicks endowed professor of pathology, who collaborated with Metabolon in discovering the prostate cancer aggressitivity markers licensed to Metabolon by the University of Michigan, will serve as an advisor to Metabolon and join the company’s scientific advisory board.
For more information, please refer to the Chinnaiyan Lab Web site at www.med.umich.edu/mctp/.
More at www.metabolon.com.
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