GeneNews granted second U.S. patent for Sentinel Principle technology

Feb 17 2010

- Significantly expands scope of protection for proprietary platform technology that identifies actionable biomarkers relating to disease and health from blood -

GeneNews Limited (TSX: GEN), a company focused on developing blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of diseases and personalized health management, today announced that it has been granted a second U.S. patent for its core platform technology, the Sentinel Principle(R). U.S. Patent # 7,662,558, entitled "Method of profiling gene expression in a human subject." The patent covers the application of the Sentinel Principle(R) in any health management context, including diagnosis, staging of disease, drug testing, monitoring response to treatment and biomarker screening.

"This issuance follows the October 2009 issuance of U.S. Patent # 7,598,031, which covers screening of blood for candidate biomarkers of any body state using large-scale gene expression profiling," said Dr. Heiner Dreismann, Lead Director and Interim CEO of GeneNews. "Together, these two patents form a strong foundation for our IP, protecting the application of our Sentinel Principle(R) across a broad spectrum of human conditions and through all aspects of personalized health management."

"We believe that the Sentinel Principle(R) has the potential to change the way that medicine is currently practiced," said Gailina Liew, President & Chief Operating Officer of GeneNews. "The issuance of this second U.S. patent significantly expands the scope of protection for this ground-breaking approach to identify clinically actionable biomarkers. It also enhances GeneNews' ability to realize additional commercial value through potential licensing arrangements, the pending issuance of additional patents which cover biomarker panels for specific clinical indications, and the continued development of our own pipeline of 'Sentry' products."

The Sentinel Principle(R), a platform technology discovered and developed by GeneNews, is based on the concept that all clinical conditions and body states, including those resulting from disease or in response to treatment, generate characteristic gene expression signatures in the blood as a result of the constant and dynamic physiological interaction of blood with the cells, tissues and organs of the human body. This technology is the basis of GeneNews' initial product, ColonSentry(TM), the world's first blood test for colorectal cancer. ColonSentry(TM) was launched in Canada in 2008 and is poised to enter the New York and New Jersey markets in the second half of 2010 through GeneNews' exclusive partnership for these U.S. states with Enzo Clinical Labs. GeneNews' broad patent portfolio includes pending patents related to these foundational patents in diverse disease areas such as cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and inflammatory conditions.