The patents form the basis for the development of diagnostic tests in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, degenerative diseases of aging, cancer and other diseases, by measuring increased oxidative damage within mitochondria.
The licensed technology utilizes a quantitative polymerase chain reaction measurement of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage, and is a sensitive and specific indicator of oxidative stress, said Transgenomic. Preliminary studies suggest that the level of mtDNA damage also correlates with a near-term risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Hence, measurement of mtDNA damage may be useful for predicting coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, the company added.
Marschall Runge, chair of the department of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, said: “In collaboration with Transgenomic we will be able to pursue studies of large populations of individuals at risk of cardiovascular diseases, and determine the utility of this measure in patients who may benefit from therapies to reduce oxidative stress.”
Craig Tuttle, CEO of Transgenomic, said: “We are pleased to conclude a license with the Clayton Foundation to develop this technology, which it has supported for many years. The license complements Transgenomic’s mtDNA mutation analysis capabilities, and demonstrates continued strategic commitment to the rapidly growing area of mitochondrial analysis for pharmacogenomic research and clinical applications.”