Orion and Johns Hopkins University sign licensing agreement

The license is based on a suite of issued and pending Johns Hopkins University patents covering imprinting abnormalities of the insulin-like growth factor 2 gene (IGF2).

Orion’s simple blood-based risk assessment test is being designed to identify people who carry the IGF2 biomarker and may be at increased risk of developing sporadic colorectal cancer. It is expected that the test will enable at-risk patients to undergo screening for colorectal cancer significantly earlier, allowing physicians to remove precancerous polyps and prevent future colon cancer.

Nathan Lakey, president and CEO of Orion, said: “Our colorectal cancer risk test has the potential to save lives by identifying a group of high risk individuals who are likely to develop colorectal cancer at a younger age, and who should undergo colonoscopy screening 10 to 20 years earlier than the age that is currently recommended.”