Alliance to Pursue Test for Colon Cancer

A collaboration to explore the role of DNA's "Second Code” in colon cancer and develop a simple new diagnostic test for its detection has been announced by Orion Genomics (St. Louis, MO, USA; www.oriongenomics.com) and Andrew P. Feinberg, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA; www.hopkinsmedicine.edu).

Orion and Dr. Feinberg will study the pattern of chemical groups known as DNA's Second Code, or DNA methylation, that regulate the function of genes. This Second Code has been found on the DNA sequence and is believed to be involved in the development of many cancers, including colon cancer. Dr. Feinberg will generate high-resolution maps of Second Code patterns from cancerous and normal colon tissue using Orion's MethylScope technology. The maps will show how genes are regulated differently in cancerous and normal tissues, and may reveal biomarkers to detect cancerous cells in body fluids. Orion intends to use the maps as the foundation for the development of a new type of molecular diagnostic test for colon cancer.

Dr. Feinberg, professor of medicine, molecular biology, and genetics at Johns Hopkins, is a world-renowned expert on DNA methylation and cancer. According to Dr. Feinberg, the role of DNA methylation in cancer and other diseases has only recently been suggested. Technologies that can quickly and accurately decipher and compare DNA methylation maps might help to clarify its role.

"DNA's Second Code is a type of language that communicates many biological messages, and can indicate whether cancer is present in the body, how far it has progressed, and how it can best be treated,” said Nathan Lakey, president and CEO of Orion Genomics.





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Orion Genomics
Johns Hopkins