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ArcticDx Announces License agreements for key patents for Macular Degeneration diagnostic
Toronto, Ontario, March 17, 2008 — ArcticDx Inc., a Canadian molecular diagnostic company, announces a license agreement with Duke University and Vanderbilt University for key patents related to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The subject IP relates to strongly associated genetic variants on two susceptibility genes, the CFH gene and the LOC387715/ARMS-2 gene. The data indicate that the ARMS-2 variant (rs10490924) confers a substantially larger AMD risk to cigarette smokers and can account for as much as 34% of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These license agreement allow ArcticDx to exploit the subject technology for use in molecular diagnostics, prognostics, and companion pharmacogenetics.
These agreements with Vanderbilt and with Duke Universities complement an agreement that ArcticDx has with the University of Michigan. On September 19, 2007, ArcticDx executed an exclusive option agreement for the world-wide rights to key patents related to AMD. The subject technology in this agreement includes more than 20 polymorphisms that show the strongest association with age-related macular degeneration than any other genetic variants discovered to date.
"The company will include a selection of these polymorphisms in a molecular test for Macular Degeneration. Other validated genetic markers for AMD will be included in this test", said Greg Hines, President and CEO of ArcticDx Inc. The test will include 17 gene variants including non-patented polymorphisms in the C2 and the BF genes as described on the company web-site.
