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news.Clinical Data has announced that the European Patent Office has granted patent to Bernried, Germany-based Epidauros Biotechnologie, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clinical Data, relating to the use of a genetic variant, or biomarker, of the gene MDR1, which encodes P-glycoprotein.
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Genetic testing of MDR1 variation has become an increasingly important part of many drug discovery and development efforts. The particular variant covered by the patent issued to Epidauros, C3435T, is the most common variant of MDR1, occurring in approximately 50% of Caucasians and in 20% and 40% of people of African and Asian descent, respectively.
P-glycoprotein (PGP) is an efflux pump expressed in the gut and kidneys but also by tumor cells, and therefore modulates the response to medications by blocking their absorption into the body or into tumors. Classes of drugs transported by PGP include chemotherapeutics, immunosuppressants, and protease inhibitors.
Drew Fromkin, president and CEO of Clinical Data, said: “The issuance of this European patent for MDR1 and its use as part of a new standardized panel for routine pharmacokinetic analysis are important milestones in this effort. We are actively pursuing opportunities to develop predictive tests for drug response with this proprietary MDR1 variant as additional data further validate its clinical utility in a number of therapeutic indications.”