OncoMethylome Sciences Licenses Technology from the Max-Planck-Institute for Detecting Novel Methylated Genes

19-May-2005

OncoMethylome Sciences and the Max Planck Society announced that OncoMethylome Sciences has been granted an exclusive license to intellectual property developed by the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) of biochemistry involving the silencing of several tumor-suppressor genes by DNA methylation in prostate cancer.

DNA methylation is one of the most common molecular alterations linked to the initiation and progression of cancers. This epigenetic alteration results in gene inactivation, or more accurately, silencing of gene expression. Scientists have known for a long time that silencing of genes, critical for inhibition of tumor growth, can lead to cancer development. Studies conducted at the Max Plank Institute of Biochemistry by Dr. Heiko Hermeking and Dmitri Lodyguine have identified several key tumor-suppressive genes that are methylated in prostate cancer tissue but not in normal prostate tissue or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

The genes will be evaluated, along with OMS's GST-Pi gene, to identify the optimum panel of methylated genes for early prostate cancer detection, prognosis and monitoring of recurrence. In numerous published studies, methylation of the GST-Pi gene has been shown to have a high correlation with the presence of cancerous cells in prostate biopsy tissue.

Garching Innovation, the technology transfer office of the Max Planck Society, concluded the license agreement with OncoMethylome Sciences. Dr. Matthias Stein-Gerlach, Patent and Licensing Manager at Garching Innovation, commented: "Dr. Hermeking and his group at the MPI of Biochemistry have made an important invention about the methylation status of several genes in prostate cancer cells. The licensing agreement with OncoMethylome Sciences is a significant step towards the translation of these findings into urgently needed improvements in the field of prostate cancer diagnosis."

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/46045/oncomethylome-sciences-licenses-technology-from-the-max-planck-institute-for-detecting-novel-methylated-genes.html