Powered by Cytox’s genoSCORE, the new test enables physicians to support patients with lifestyle changes, and guide possible use of drug therapy, to delay the onset of disease symptoms
23 June 2021: Piscataway, New Jersey; Oxford and Manchester, UK. Today, Infinity BiologiX, LLC (IBX) and Cytox Ltd, announce a collaboration to provide a new, non-invasive, genetic test that can predict the risk of cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s through a simple saliva or blood sample. The product is anticipated to be available to physicians in the coming months.
Physicians can use the genoSCORE test to assess patients before symptoms arise, and prior to invasive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing or expensive scanning techniques. Furthermore, the test’s simplicity of use enables elderly and vulnerable patients not able to attend healthcare settings, to provide a sample from home.
Dr. Richard Pither, CEO of Cytox, commented: “Alzheimer’s disease affects over 46 million people in the world1. We see this new test as a powerful tool to enable physicians to make immediate decisions about their patients’ risk of cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease, and guide them towards effective lifestyle and therapeutic interventions that can have a significant impact on delaying the onset of disease symptoms and cognitive decline2. We are delighted to be working with IBX, a leading provider of laboratory tests that can bring this new product to US physicians and their patients.”
Robin Grimwood, IBX CEO, explained, “We see this agreement for the sale and distribution of the genoSCORE-powered test as a critical collaboration in line with our mission to understand the genetic causes of common, complex diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, and to discover diagnoses, treatments and, support the development of new, effective therapeutic interventions for these diseases.”
About Infinity BiologiX (IBX)
IBX is a market-disrupting next-generation central laboratory supporting academia, government, and industry. IBX provides global sample collection, processing, storage, and analytical services integrated with scientific and technical support in both the research and clinical arenas. As a leader in biomaterials, IBX provides support to the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and research in the genomics, precision, and regenerative medicine arenas. IBX previously operated as RUCDR Infinite Biologics before spinning off from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in August 2020.
For more information, please visit www.ibx.bio
Infinitiy BiologiX Media Contact: Judy Hopkins, Judy@infinity-biologix.com
About Cytox (www.cytoxgroup.com)
Without new drug therapies, the economic and healthcare cost burden of dementia - including Alzheimer's disease (AD) - is estimated to exceed $1tn per year in the next decade1. AD – a highly complex disease with risk factors based in genetics, lifestyle, age, and environment. Cytox’s products genoSCORETM and genoTORTM use Polygenic Risk Scoring (PRS) to predict the risk of individuals developing AD, and to improve clinical trial outcomes through patient stratification and the genetic characterisation of the disease.
Contacts:
Richard Pither, Chief Executive Officer, Cytox Tel: +44 (0)1865 338 018
Adam Michael – Communications Lead, Cytox Tel: +44 777 588 1813 adam.michael@cytoxgroup.com
About genoSCORETM
genoSCORE is a new non-invasive, genetic test to predict future risk of cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The test, which uses a simple blood or saliva sample, analyses patient genotypes against an array of over 100,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with AD. As such, the test generates a patient-specific polygenic risk score (PRS).
Clinicians can use the genoSCORE powered test to assess patients for the risk of developing Alzheimer's, before symptoms arise, prior to invasive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing or expensive scanning techniques. Furthermore, the test’s simplicity of use would enable elderly and vulnerable patients self-isolating due to COVID-19, or not wishing or easily able to attend healthcare settings, to provide a suitable sample from home.
Developers of new AD drug therapies can also use genoSCORE to identify and recruit patients to clinical studies, ensuring the selection of the most suitable candidates, those most likely to experience cognitive decline over the time period of the study.
This test is a measure of relative risk for future onset of Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) and should not be considered as standalone diagnostic test. A high genoSCORE test result does not indicate that an individual will definitively develop LOAD in the future, and conversely a low genoSCORE result does not categorically mean that subsequent onset of LOAD will never occur. The test result should be used in conjunction with other information available to the physician.
References:
1. World Alzheimer’s Report 2015
www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2015.pdf
2. Lancet Commission: Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32738937/
