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Myriad Genetics Presents Tumor Origin Technology at AACR
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contenttype=sentryarticle&contentvalue=1319276...
Market Wire - Apr. 18, 2007
SALT LAKE CITY, UT, April 18 / MARKET WIRE/

Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN) (www.myriad.com) announced today that it presented studies for a new technology that might be used to determine the original location of a metastatic tumor, on Monday, April 16, 2007 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Los Angeles, California. This work could also prove helpful in determining whether any two tumors are related, and was carried out in collaboration with researchers from Magee-Womens Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Tumor origin can play an important role in choosing among treatment options for cancer patients. A difficult problem in treating some gynecological malignancies is determining the primary site of tumor origin. This is particularly apparent when cancer simultaneously involves both the ovary and endometrium. Myriad has developed a technology based on DNA copy number analysis, which may be used to accurately distinguish between the different possible originating or primary tumors.

The preliminary data from Myriad's study came from patient specimens with diagnoses of simultaneous ovarian and endometrial cancers. Three separate specimens were collected and analyzed for DNA copy number from each patient, one from the ovarian tumor, one from the endometrial tumor and one from normal unaffected tissue.

In many cases, pathologists may be unable to distinguish between related tumors and separate primary tumors due to the uncertain nature of the pathology results. The copy number analysis either confirmed conclusions from pathological examination, or provided new information that could be used to give a more positive determination of tumor source. Copy number analysis can show that both tumors share a change that is not present in the unaffected specimen. If one of the tumors has many more additional changes than the other, it may be considered the secondary, or metastatic tumor. In our preliminary data set, copy number conclusions were subsequently confirmed by re-sequencing the PTEN tumor suppressor gene for mutations.

"We are excited about the potential of our copy number analysis technology to differentiate cancers of different types," said Jerry Lanchbury, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research for Myriad Genetics, Inc. "We anticipate further development of the technology for possible commercial introduction in the future."

Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel healthcare products. The Company develops and markets predictive medicine products, and is developing and intends to market therapeutic products. Myriad's news and other information are available on the Company's Web site at www.myriad.com.