Ignyta chairman, CEO, co-founder and MD Jonathan Lim said the collaboration with LUMC will enable Ignyta to study patients with undifferentiated arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, taking the company one step closer to its goal of developing a diagnostic assay for patients with early RA.
"LUMC is one of the world’s leading institutions in researching and treating patient with arthritis, and we are pleased to be collaborating with them in this important area of research," Lim added.
LUMC Department of Rheumatology head Professor Tom Huizinga noted that Ignyta is pioneering an interesting technological approach to detect early RA.
"We are excited to be working with them in an effort to improve care for RA patients," Huizinga added.
Several controlled longitudinal studies show that early detection and treatment of RA leads to improved health outcomes in the long term.
However, it is difficult to differentially diagnose the disease early in its progression. Currently, there are no available biomarker-based diagnostic tests that detect early RA.
Ignyta is employing its epigenomic technologies to develop an epigenetic-based diagnostic test that will have high specificity and sensitivity to detect RA in the early stages.