Amplification Refractory Mutation System technology is described as a well-established and reliable method for the detection of genetic variations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
Bayer HealthCare, Diagnostics Division, has entered into a licence agreement with DxS and BTG.
Bayer Diagnostics licenced the companies' proprietary Amplification Refractory Mutation System (Arms) DNA diagnostic technology for the ability to develop diagnostic assays, including pharmacogenetic assays.
Certain assays to be developed by Bayer will enable healthcare professionals to optimise healthcare delivery by better predicting an individual's genetic likelihood for disease onset, and maximising disease treatment success by matching a person's unique genetic make-up to the therapy.
"Clinical diagnostics is evolving from assays and platforms that diagnose and monitor disease to genomics-based assays that can not only help determine an individual's propensity to develop a disease but also can be used to select the correct therapeutic regimen for patients on an individualised basis," stated John Blackwood, vice president global new business development, Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics.
"The advent of pharmacogenetics and the increased use of molecular diagnostics as a primary tool for the diagnostician will shift healthcare to a more efficient, more cost effective system that ultimately provides enhanced care at the individual level".
Personalised medicine and SNPs.
Pharmacogenetics is the study of how an individual will respond to particular medical treatments based on personal genetic profile.
The goal of pharmacogenetics is to understand how someone's genetic make-up determines how well a medicine works in his or her body, as well as what side effects are likely to occur.
Advances gleaned from pharmacogenetics research will provide information to guide healthcare professionals in getting just enough of the right medicine to a person - the practice of 'personalised medicine'.
Genomics-based, molecular diagnostic profiling is one of the key tools for making personalised medicine a reality.
Amplification Refractory Mutation System technology, as licensed from DxS and BTG, is a well-established and reliable method for the detection of genetic variations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
SNPs are variations in a DNA sequence that occur when a single nucleotide (A, T, C or G) in the sequence is altered.
Although more than 99% of human DNA sequences are the same across the population, variations in DNA sequence can have a major impact on how humans respond to disease; environmental challenges such as bacteria, viruses, toxins, and chemicals; and drugs and other therapies.
Scientists believe SNP maps will help them identify the multiple genes associated with such complex diseases as cancer, diabetes, and vascular disease.
In addition, SNPs can help determine the likelihood that someone will develop a particular disease.
Furthermore, SNPs are useful in predetermining an individual's response to drug treatment, and can be used as markers to differentiate individuals with varying response to treatment.
Stephen Little, chief executive officer of DxS, commented: "The information generated by genotyping is key for the discovery and development of new diagnostics and we are pleased that Bayer Diagnostics has selected Arms technology.
"Arms has proven results with greater accuracy and speed than competing technologies and is an invaluable tool in the field of diagnostics".
"The addition of Bayer Diagnostics to our growing roster of clients demonstrates the value of Arms technology and validates the future direction of healthcare is headed towards personalized medicine," commented Martin Sandford, senior vice president, BTG.
The $1.9 billion nucleic acid diagnostic market includes testing for infectious and genetic diseases, as well as cell/tissue typing, cancer genetics and personalised medicine.
It is the fastest growing sector of the diagnostic marketplace, increasing at a rate of 20-40% per annum.
This could, according to some industry experts, create a potential $8-10 billion market segment by 2010.
Arms technology has applications throughout this market such as the detection of genetic variations in the genes responsible for common diseases, including cancer and heart disease".
