U.S. laboratories and physicians will be able to use their ARUP accounts to order deCODE’s test for assessing risk of prostate cancer
Reykjavik, ICELAND, and Salt Lake City, UTAH,– July 20, 2010 – deCODE genetics and ARUP Laboratories today announced a partnership through which ARUP will offer deCODE’s DNA-based prostate cancer risk assessment test to its clients nationwide.
Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, ARUP will integrate deCODE ProstateCancer™ into the portfolio of tests it offers to leading academic medical centers, public and private healthcare providers, and major hospitals across the United States. ARUP’s clients will order the test, submit samples and receive results through ARUP, with deCODE conducting the genetic analysis in its CAP and CLIA-certified laboratory.
deCODE ProstateCancer measures 25 common single-letter variations, or SNPs, in the sequence of the human genome that are associated with the risk of prostate cancer. These SNPs were validated in tens of thousands of patients and controls in many populations. The risk conferred by these common SNPs is independent of family history, and does not correlate with benign prostatic hyperplasia (a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate). The test can identify approximately 15% of men in the general population who are at double the average risk of prostate cancer as well as 5% who have triple the average risk. This test is complementary to standard clinical risk screening, including PSA, providing additional information for a more complete and personalized picture of individual risk to help doctors manage effective screening and early-detection strategies.
“The management of patients with elevated or borderline PSA continues to be a challenge, and having the additional knowledge of a patient’s genetic risk for prostate cancer can be very useful. We are pleased to be working with deCODE, who has developed this test through a number of large clinical studies and continues to demonstrate excellent scientific productivity in the area of human genetics,” said Edward Ashwood, MD, President and CEO of ARUP Laboratories.
“We are excited to be partnering with ARUP to increase the availability of our prostate cancer test to physicians and their patients. The quality and breadth of their services, and their range of customers across the healthcare spectrum, make them an excellent partner. Our test helps to meet the need for improved risk stratification and patient outcomes, and we believe that this alliance will make these benefits available to a greater number of patients,” said Kari Stefansson, Executive Chairman and President of Research at deCODE.
ARUP Laboratories plans to begin offering deCODE’s prostate cancer risk test (ARUP test code 2003326) to clients in the fall of 2010.
About deCODE
Headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, deCODE genetics is a global leader in analyzing and understanding the human genome. Using its unique expertise and population resources, deCODE has discovered key genetic risk factors for dozens of common diseases ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer. deCODE employs its capabilities to develop DNA-based tests and personal genome scans to better understand individual risk and empower prevention. It also licenses its tests, intellectual property and analytical tools to partners, and provides comprehensive genotyping, sequencing and data analysis services to companies and research institutions around the globe. Through its CLIA- and CAP-certified laboratory deCODE offers DNA-based tests for gauging risk and empowering prevention of common diseases, including deCODE T2™ for type 2 diabetes; deCODE AF™ for atrial fibrillation and stroke; deCODE MI™ for heart attack; deCODE ProstateCancer™ for prostate cancer; deCODE Glaucoma™ for a major type of glaucoma; and deCODE BreastCancer, for the common forms of breast cancer. Through its pioneering personal genome analysis service deCODEme™, deCODE enables individuals to better understand their risk of dozens of common diseases and to learn about their ancestry and other traits. Visit us on the web at www.decode.com.
About ARUP Laboratories Founded in 1984, ARUP Laboratories is a leading national reference laboratory and an enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology. ARUP offers more than 2,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to esoteric molecular and genetic assays. ARUP serves clients across the United States, including many of the nation’s top university teaching hospitals and children’s hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and other government facilities, and major clinics. In addition, ARUP is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, led by the efforts of the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology®. For more information please visit www.aruplab.com