IntegraChips™ to help develop “identity cards” for cancer tumours

IntegraGen secures a deal to supply DNA chips based on its
IntegraChips™ to La Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer

Paris, France; 20 December 2004 ….. IntegraGen, the personalized medicines company, announced today it has signed a contract to develop, manufacture and supply novel DNA chips, based on its proprietary IntegraChips™, to La Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer (LNCC). The chips, a type of DNA microarray, will be used in the LNCC’s Cartes d’Identité des Tumeurs (CIT) project, which aims to develop “identity cards” for tumors. 

The CIT identity card project will document an exhaustive catalogue of all genetic, molecular or functional characteristics of tumor cells. It will use the characteristics specific for each tumor type to help with the identification, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy for different cancers. This work will also increase understanding of the biology of different forms of cancer and may reveal new therapeutic targets for treatment development. The CIT chips will be used to discover changes in the genetics of each tumor and provide a type of genomic “fingerprint” to identify specific categories of tumors.  

Commenting on the deal, Dr Jan Mous, CEO of IntegraGen said:
“IntegraGen is very pleased to be making a contribution to this important project in cancer research. La Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer’s choice of IntegraGen to develop the CIT chips is an authoritative endorsement of IntegraGen’s technology and reflects the Company’s high quality standards in developing and applying its innovative technology to genetics research.” 

Several major cancer centers throughout France (in Paris, Villejuif, Strasbourg and Montpellier) that already have important collections of tumor tissue will now be able to use the CIT chips to analyze the tumor DNAs. These centers have also examined the same tumors for patterns of changes in gene expression. Combination of the genomic and expression data will provide a robust framework to search for correlations with other characteristics of the tumor such as anatomical and physiological observations and indeed with the chemotherapeutic response of the patient. Typically, changes in genomic copy number correlate with changes in gene expression, but the exceptions to this general rule can provide important clues about perturbations to gene expression in cancer cells. 

Jacqueline Godet, Scientific Director of La Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, stated:
“Based on previous collaborations, we have come to value not only IntegraGen’s technological knowledge, but its high level of professionalism. IntegraGen’s work is of high quality and is delivered in a timely manner.” 

In addition to applications for cancer research, IntegraGen manufactures and offers it’s IntegraChips for genome-wide mapping, with applications in identifying chromosomal anomalies, mapping disease loci and chromatin immunoprecipitation mapping (ChIP-Chip). The IntegraChips were developed by IntegraGen for its proprietary in-house disease gene discovery programmes, where they have been successfully used in several completed genome-wide mapping projects. 

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About the CIT arrays

Integragen, Institut Curie, INSERM and CNRS laboratories have jointly developed CIT arrays. The CIT chips are based on a foundation of about 3200 BAC clones from IntegraGen’s IntegraChips™. The basic IntegraGen clone set is evenly distributed throughout the genome at intervals of about 0.8 megabases and thus is sufficient to profile the patterns of chromosomal copy number changes typically found in tumor cells. The CIT chips have an additional 1700 BAC clones provided by the Institut Curie.  

The CIT arrays will be used to discover tumor chromosomal regions that have been amplified or deleted. Combinations of patterns of such changes can provide a type of genomic “fingerprint” for specific categories of tumors. The set of clones on the CIT array will enable cancer researchers to zoom in on known “hotspots” in cancer genomes and includes BACs that contain oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Thus, for studies of specific oncogenes, the CIT chips will provide information on one array that typically requires two sequential analyses.  

About IntegraGen  

IntegraGen SA uses its unique genomic analysis expertise to identify genes associated with complex diseases and to develop diagnostic tests. The Company applies its innovative gene mapping technology, GenomeHIP® (Genome Hybrid Identity Profiling), to rapidly discover genetic loci that are implicated in complex, multi-factorial diseases. GenomeHIP® is a major advance that overcomes the limitations of existing marker based familial linkage study methods.

IntegraGen's in-house programs are focused on identifying genes involved in neurological disorders, including autism and bi-polar disorder, and metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The unique approach of the company is based on its powerful technology platform and the belief that identifying genes for human diseases can best be achieved by analyzing meticulously selected patients in the context of a thorough understanding of the biology behind the disease.

The company's strategy is to develop molecular diagnostic tools for selected disease areas with high medical need. To this end, IntegraGen is also looking to access DNA collections and to build gene discovery collaborations in the area of complex genetic diseases. Founded in July 2000, IntegraGen has 34 employees and is based in the French Genopole of Evry, near Paris, France, and in Bonn, Germany. 

More information can be found at www.integragen.com 

For further information please contact: 

Media enquiries

Northbank Communications 

Rebecca Todd, Account Manager
Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 8157
Mobile: +44 (0)7801 573073
E-mail: r.todd@northbankcommunications.com  

Sue Charles, CEO
Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 8152
Mobile: +44 (0)7968 726585
E-mail: s.charles@northbankcommunications.com 

At IntegraGen

Dr Jan Mous, CEO
Tel: +33 (0)1 60 91 09 00
Email: jan.mous@integragen.com