Collaboration to Study Cervical Cancer Marker

Following a joint agreement, scientists at Cytyc Corp. (Boxborough, MA, USA) and DakoCytomation (Copenhagen, Denmark) will focus on an investigation of the biomarker p16INK4a and jointly evaluate the utility of DakoCytomation's CINtec p16INK4a cytology kit on the testing platforms of Cytyc.

The kits are based on technology licensed from mtm Laboratories AG (Heidelberg, Germany). The research will assess the potential use of p16INK4a as a biomarker for screening tests performed on ThinPrep PaP test samples and its potential to be used as a marker for progression of ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance). The p16INK4a protein is expressed as a consequence of abnormal E7 gene activity following human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. As such, it may serve as a marker of high-risk HPV effects on the cervical epithelium.

"p16INK4a may be a useful marker in the management of ASC-US and other abnormal cytology findings,” said James Linder, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer of Cytyc. "The excellent reputation of DakoCytomation in the development and testing of diagnostic markers makes this collaboration particularly appealing.”




Related Links:
Cytyc Corp.
DakoCytomation