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Biotech / Medical : Seattle Biotech -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: keokalani'nui who wrote (31)	9/10/2001 4:47:42 AM
From: nigel bates	Respond to of 70

BERLIN, GERMANY AND SEATTLE, WA--(INTERNET WIRE)--Sep 09, 2001-- Epigenomics, a transatlantic biotech company pioneering applications of DNA methylation, today announced that it has successfully identified over 200 Methylated Sequence Tags (MeSTs or DNA based markers) that could be used for early detection of colon cancer. These markers are the first results to be announced from a large-scale genome wide screening effort of all major human tumors for DNA methylation markers in tissue and serum. Epigenomics believes that methylation-based DNA markers will allow the detection of disease much earlier than currently available diagnostics. This will allow physicians to develop the best treatment for existing disease, monitor the effects of treatment and identify people at risk of developing disease. The research was carried out at Epigenomics´ high-throughput discovery facility in Seattle, Washington. "These results truly reveal the power of Epigenomics Marker Machine. Such novel DNA methylation markers could form the backbone of tomorrow's molecular diagnostics. Another fascinating finding is that dozens of these markers are derived from genes not yet implicated in cancer development, making them highly interesting candidates as pharmaceutical targets. It is generally accepted that DNA methylation is involved in global transcriptional regulation of the human genome. Over-methylation can lead to decreased gene activity, for instance blocking genes that protect us from cancer. On the flip side, under-methylation of normally inactive genes often leads to their activation and acceleration of the disease process. Epigenomics has demonstrated that our discovery process can identify novel genes regulated by methylation in a high throughput fashion", stated Andrzej Sledziewski, head of R&D at Epigenomics, Inc. in Seattle. Epigenomics expects to develop validated panels of informative DNA methylation positions for various types of cancer diagnostics such as differential diagnostics, treatment planning tests, monitoring tests, as well as serum based early screening tests. The convenience, performance and cost-effectiveness of these tests will potentially make them ideal for mass screening programs for all major cancer types. "With our proprietary discovery process churning out hundreds of novel MeSTs every month and our proprietary chip process scoring hundred thousands of methylation signals per week, we will be able to complete early phases of product development on two significant unanswered diagnostic questions in oncology by next year", Gary Schweikhardt, CEO of Epigenomics, Inc. and head of global diagnostics business activities commented. "We will be able to offer partners in diagnostics a wealth of unique markers unprecedented in molecular diagnostics. It is the markers that matter in turning the diagnostics business of the future into a fast-growing, indispensable, and highly profitable arm of tomorrow's personalized medicines." Epigenomics is a transatlantic biotechnology company, with headquarters in Berlin, Germany and its wholly owned subsidiary in Seattle, Washington, USA, pioneering tomorrow's personalized medicines. By detecting DNA methylation patterns, the "on" and "off" signs for genes, Epigenomics can create a digitized readout (Digital Phenotype(R)) for each tissue. The comparison of healthy and sick tissue enables an exact diagnosis of disease at a very early stage and reveals new therapeutic opportunities. The combination of diagnosis and therapy, based on this epigenetic information and our robust proprietary technology, is leading the way to improving patients' quality of life. Epigenomics is the world's first and only company focusing exclusively on DNA methylation and its importance in the post-genomic age, and is supported by the world's premier network of academic researchers and clinicians with expertise in the field of cancer and DNA methylation. For further information, please visit our website at www.epigenomics.com