Oxford Gene Technology signs license agreement with Cancer Cytogenomics Microarray Consortium

Written by Alice O'Hare, Future Science Group
Collaborations and mergers News
Female and Male Scientists Working on their Computers In Big Modern Laboratory. Various Shelves with Beakers, Chemicals and Different Technical Equipment is Visible.

4 February, 2013

UK-based biotechnology company to collaborate with consortium.

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has recently announced their collaboration with the Cancer Cytogenomics Microarray Consortium (CCMC) to design a cancer-profiling microarray.

OGT, based in Oxfordshire (UK), focus on developing biomarkers and offering genomic services. The company has signed a license agreement with CCMC, a group of clinical cytogeneticist and molecular geneticists and pathologists, with the aim to apply their microarray technologies to the diagnosis and research of cancer. OGT are to design a whole-genome microarray, which will probe for over 500 cancer genes and 130 genomic regions that are associated with hematological and solid tumors.

The analytical test will aim to accurately identify changes in DNA copy number and loss of heterozygosity, which are associated with various cancer types. As President of the CCMC, M Anwar Iqbal explained, “The use of microarray technology will substantially improve the facility of cytogenetics research laboratories to identify cancer. The CCMC board appreciates the efforts of companies such as OGT to making the CCMC cancer array design available to the cytogenetics research community worldwide.”

Mike Evans, Chief Executive Officer at OGT, commented on the license agreement between OCT and CCMC, seeing it as an endorsement of the company’s strength in microarrays and their commitment to develop both diagnostic tests and disease characterization tests in early cancer. He continued, “We are proud to be able to contribute to the good work undertaken by the CCMC to further cancer research through increasing access to more comprehensive, accurately interpreted molecular information.”

Iqbal explains the importance of the agreement, “The use of microarray technology will substantially improve the facility of cytogenetics research laboratories to identify cancer. The CCMC board appreciates the efforts of companies such as OGT to making the CCMC cancer array design available to the cytogenetics research community worldwide.”

Source: OGT expands commitment to improved cancer profiling with CCMC deal.

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