Epigenomics AG Receives Allowances for Key Patents in Europe

05-20-2009: Epigenomics AG announced that it has received Rule 71(3) notifications stating that the European Patent Office intends to grant two patent for Epigenomics' PITX2 DNA methylation biomarker (mPITX2). This notification is equivalent to a "Notice of Allowance" by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Patent application EP1831399, covers very broadly the use of Epigenomics' mPITX2 biomarker in the prognosis of prostate cancer. The second patent application EP1554407 covers the use of mPITX2 in the prediction of the response of breast cancer patients to adjuvant antihormonal therapy. Equivalent patent applications are also pending in the USA, Japan, Australia and Canada.

The mPITX2 biomarker is at the core of Epigenomics' prostate cancer prognosis test that indicates the risk of early disease recurrence following a surgical removal of the cancerous prostate. In October 2008, Epigenomics successfully validated the biomarker using a fully developed test system for this application. The results of this biomarker validation study were presented by Lionel L Bañez, MD at Duke University, during the plenary session of the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association in Chicago last month generating lots of attention within the urology community.

"Assessing PITX2 methylation could provide a valuable means to better define prostate cancer risk groups and thus aid in selection of patients for whom adjuvant and/or early salvage therapy may be warranted," commented Dr. Bañez. "Furthermore, PITX2 methylation status could also be used in the rational design of clinical trials and improve testing of new therapeutic regimens."