Agendia & Collaborators Publish Key MammaPrint Paper in Nature Cell Biology

Irvine, California, and Amsterdam (ots/PRNewswire) -
Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, announced
today that together with several groups of scientific collaborators
it has identified a major role for TSPYL5, one of its MammaPrint
breast cancer prognosis genes, in the genesis of breast cancer. The
study entitled: "TSPYL5 suppresses p53 levels and function by
physical interaction with USP7", was published today in Nature Cell
Biology, one of the foremost scientific journals.

The study provides further proof of the superiority of the
unbiased whole genome discovery process on which MammaPrint is based.
The 70 genes that constitute the MammaPrint signature were arrived at
after comparison of full genome gene expression profiles of a large
number of breast tumors. In 2002, when the first landmark papers on
MammaPrint were published in the New England Medical Journal and
Nature, the individual function of nearly half of the 70 genes was
unknown, including the TSPYL5 gene. Despite this, it was clear that
MammaPrint offered the strongest prognostic evidence of any molecular
diagnostic assay for breast cancer recurrence and is able to identify
chemotherapy-sensitive metastasis risk with 94% accuracy. The
discovery process commonly used today by developers of molecular
diagnostic assays relies on the so-called candidate gene approach, in
which genes are selected based what is known from the scientific
literature and expert opinion at the specific date of development. By
its nature this approach has important limitations, since it ignores
the wealth of information in the human genome, such as the TSPYL5
gene, that, even if unexplained, still plays a pivotal role in
disease processes.

The paper in Nature Cell Biology describes for the first time the
function of the TSPYL5 gene, and specifically its crucial interaction
with p53, one of the best-described tumor suppressor genes. By
suppressing p53, TSPYL5 seems to disarm one of the key genes
responsible for combating tumor development, and the authors show
that TSPYL5 is an independent poor prognosis marker in breast cancer.
The TSPYL5 gene and another previously unknown MammaPrint gene,
metadherin (MTDH), which was also recently found to mediate
metastasis and chemoresistance, are not included in other breast
cancer recurrence assays and in hindsight provide a scientific
rationale for MammaPrint's unprecedented clinical utility.

To access the paper, please go to:
http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ncb2142.html

About MammaPrint(R)

MammaPrint is the first and only breast cancer recurrence test
cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA clearance
requires clinical and analytical validation and reporting systems to
ensure patient safety issues are addressed. Highly accurate,
MammaPrint identifies patients with early metastasis risk - patients
who are likely to develop metastases within five years following
surgery. Several authoritative studies have shown that chemotherapy
particularly reduces early metastasis risk. In planning treatment,
the MammaPrint test results provide doctors with a clear rationale to
assess the benefit of chemotherapy in addition to other clinical
information and pathology tests. All MammaPrint tests are conducted
in Agendia's CAP-accredited and CLIA compliant service laboratories.

About Agendia

Agendia is at the forefront of the personalized medicine
revolution, striving to bring more effective, individualized
treatments within reach of patients. Building on a cutting-edge
genomics platform for tumor gene expression profiling, the company's
tests help physicians more accurately tailor cancer treatments.
Agendia markets four products, with several new genomic tests under
development. In addition, Agendia collaborates with pharmaceutical
companies to develop highly effective personalized drugs in the area
of oncology. Agendia is based in Irvine, California, and in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

ots Originaltext: Agendia B.V.
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
CONTACT: Media Contacts: Hans Herklots, +31-20-462-1557
Office,+31-620-083-509, Mobile, hans.herklots@agendia.com; Valerie
Carter,Ricochet Public Relations, +1-202-316-0143, Mobile,
vcarter@ricochetpr.com