VARIAGENICS Announces Licensing Agreement With Nanogen for MTHFR Probe
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 6, 2001--VARIAGENICS, INC. (NASDAQ:VGNX - news), a leader in pharmacogenomics, today announced that it has entered into a worldwide licensing agreement for VARIAGENICS ' MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) patent rights with Nanogen, Inc. (NASDAQ:NGEN - news). Under the terms of the agreement, VARIAGENICS has granted Nanogen worldwide non-exclusive rights to commercialize home brew and analyte specific reagent tests aimed at the assessment of thrombo-embolic disease risk, among others. Additionally, the agreement stipulates that VARIAGENICS retains the rights to the development of future diagnostic tests and all other pharmacogenomic applications.
``This relationship with Nanogen represents an important step in the validation of our pharmacogenomics business model, as well as our ongoing partnership program,'' said Taylor Crouch, VARIAGENICS' President and CEO. ``We believe that Nanogen's electronics-driven technology is well-suited to help maximize the value of MTHFR polymorphism testing by providing a highly efficient and accurate system that has the potential to impact medical practice.''
``With the addition of an internally validated research protocol for MTHFR to our NanoChip® System, we are delivering on our stated commitment to develop a wide menu of protocols that can be performed with our technology. The addition of MTHFR broadens the number of such Nanogen protocols associated with the detection of cardiovascular disease and the pathology of thrombosis,'' said Randy White, Chief Executive Officer of Nanogen. ``Nanogen looks forward to expanding our relationship with Variagenics into other potential disease areas.''
The MTHFR patent rights were acquired from McGill University by VARIAGENICS in 1999. Since then, VARIAGENICS and McGill University have actively collaborated in the discovery and development of pharmacogenomic markers related to this gene. Variations in the MTHFR gene are typically associated with cardiovascular disease, central nervous system disorders, osteoporosis, disorders influenced by folic acid metabolism, and cancer. Earlier prediction and/or detection of these diseases is a key focus for medical researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and treating physicians. In June 2000, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent 6,074,821 titled ``cDNA for Human Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase'' which was assigned to McGill University and was licensed exclusively to VARIAGENICS under the terms of the original 1999 agreement.
``When VARIAGENICS acquired the rights to MTHFR, we recognized its potential as a key element in the folate pathway, which in turn affects susceptibility to a number of diseases, as well as the pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenomic behavior of a variety of drugs,'' said Vincent P. Stanton, M.D., Vice President and Principal Scientist at VARIAGENICS. ``We view this agreement with Nanogen as the first in many such relationships aimed at leveraging our intellectual property in the reference laboratory setting.'' ... |
