In July, Exosome Diagnostics and QIAGEN announced a partnership to develop kits to process nucleic acids from exosomes isolated from body fluids. The cooperation aims to develop molecular tests for personalized medicine, which enable the analysis of gene mutations and gene expression profiles without costly, invasive tissue biopsies. For the analysis of body fluids, the exosome technology of Exosome Diagnostics will be combined with QIAGEN consumables and automation platforms.
The exclusive agreement with QIAGEN includes the co-development, manufacturing and commercialisation of a full product line. Initial product launches are targeted in 2014. Financial terms were not disclosed. The US-company Exosome Diagnostics Inc. has established a subsidiary in Martinsried/Munich in 2010. The research conducted in Martinsried has had a major impact on the closing of the partnership, and the cooperation will accelerate global availability of the new platform technology.
The analysis of nucleic acids isolated from body fluids like blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid has the potential to allow researchers and doctors to take repeated, real-time genetic "snapshots" of patients. A possible application is to date investigated within the framework of the Munich Leading-Edge Cluster “m4 – Personalized Medicine”. In the cooperation project of Exosome Diagnostics in Martinsried and Dr. Carola Berking, Professor of Dermatology at Ludwig Maximilians University, a diagnostic assay is being developed to analyse the tumour’s mutation status from a simple blood or urine sample. This will allow for stratification, monitoring and targeted therapy of patients without the need for tissue.
“I am very excited about this agreement,” says Prof. Berking. “The prospects of detecting specific cancer mutations in exosomes by a fast and simple blood or urine sampling are great and it would be a major advancement for personalized medicine. This agreement with Qiagen is an important step in translating the technology to the clinic.”
To the presse release of Exosome Diagnostics
About the Leading-Edge Cluster program “m4 – Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapies”
The cooperation project of Exosome Diagnostics and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität is funded by the program “m4 – Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapies” for which the Munich Biotech Cluster was awarded “Leading-Edge cluster status” by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF) in 2010. For a 5 year period, the program is funded with EUR 40 million from the BMBF, which are complemented by EUR 40 million from the participating companies in more than 40 cooperative R&D projects from industry and scientific institutions. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology supports the cluster management agency BioM and particular components of the concept with an additional EUR 12 million. For more information please visit www.m4.de
About Exosomes
Exosomes are one of many different subpopulations of microvesicles that can be isolated from biofluids such as blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid and from which high-quality RNA and DNA can be extracted and purified for analysis. Exosomes are shed by cells under both normal and pathological conditions. They are a key part of the body's complex communication system that transfers genetic instructions from cell to cell through all biofluids. Exosomes carry nucleic acids and proteins from their host cells and are widely considered to be essential for biomarker discovery for personalized healthcare diagnostics. Tumor cells, for instance, release exosomes which contain tumor-specific RNAs that can be isolated easier from biofluids such as blood and urine than from biopsies.
About Exosome Diagnostics
Exosome Diagnostics is a leading developer of biofluid-based molecular diagnostic tests for use in personalized medicine. Exosome Diagnostics' proprietary technology makes use of the presence and stability of nucleic acids in exosomes to detect and measure levels of genes implicated in cancer, neurodegenerative, metabolic, infectious and other diseases. The Company is commercializing in vitro diagnostic tests for use in companion diagnostic applications and real-time monitoring of disease. www.exosomedx.com