DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GeneCentric announced today that it has been launched with two separate exclusive licenses to diagnostic technologies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  The company was co-founded in 2011 by two pioneers in cancer research, Drs. Charles Perou and Neil Hayes, who discovered molecular signatures critical in distinguishing clinically relevant subtypes of lung cancer. 

GeneCentric in-licensed the Lung Subtype Platform (LSP™) from UNC-Chapel Hill based upon data demonstrating that the LSP™ technology can distinguish multiple subtypes of lung cancer based upon a genetic fingerprint from a tumor sample.  These results were first published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2006, with additional publications over the past 2 years.  

In addition to the LSP™ technology, GeneCentric, has entered into a licensing agreement with the University that grants GeneCentric exclusive worldwide commercial right to a 13-gene VEGF signature associated with distant metastases and poor outcomes ("Hypoxia Signature").  At the June 2012 ASCO meeting, Dr. Scooter Willis presented an abstract entitled "A Compact 13-Gene VEGF-Signature is Associated with an Overall Survival Benefit in E2100" indicating the potential predictive value of the signature in identifying likely responders to anti-angiogenesis agents.(S. Willis et al. ASCO Annual Meeting 2012). Further studies are underway to confirm these initial results in additional tumor sets.

Shelley Earp, Director of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center said, "The next era of cancer clinical trials and, in fact, cancer care will be driven by a tumor's molecular signature.  What are the characteristics that drive that cancer's growth and invasion?  Drs. Perou and Hayes are world leaders in helping to answer these questions and bring these approaches to our patients.  Investment by the University Cancer Research Fund promoted their research and the founding of GeneCentric will provide the Research Triangle with a company to bring their findings to the practice of oncology."

In addition to Drs. Perou and Hayes, GeneCentric was co-founded by Hatteras Venture Partners, which provided the founding Series I financing, and Dr. Myla Lai-Goldman, former CMO & CSO of Laboratory Corporation of America, Holdings (LabCorp) and current Venture Partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, who is leading GeneCentric.

About GeneCentric

GeneCentric Diagnostics, Inc, based in Durham, NC, is a molecular diagnostic company which develops and commercializes novel assays that enable oncologists and their patients make more informed treatment decisions.  For more information, please visit: www.genecentric.com

CONTACT:
Myla Lai-Goldman   
myla@genecentric.com

SOURCE GeneCentric