Iverson Genetic Diagnostics negotiated an exclusive global commercial license to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine IP for use in the development of molecular diagnostics designed to assess cardiovascular risk in men and women, and female infertility. The licensed technology is centered on University research on mutations in SCARB1, the gene for scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI)—which is HDL’s partner protein—as a risk factor for heart disease and hormonal and fertility outcomes in women. Iverson says it plans to introduce the SR-BI test into its Physician’s Logic™ portfolio during 2012.
“The importance of finding gene variants that affect the metabolism of cholesterol, especially the healthy fraction, and hormones—hence causing disease—is incredibly important for personalized medicine,” remarks Leroy Hood, M.D., who sits on the Iverson Genetic Diagnostics board and is cofounder of the Institute for Systems Biology. “This agreement between Iverson and Johns Hopkins is a wonderful example of a diagnostic test that could significantly improve the health of many patients throughout the world.
Iverson offers personalized genetic testing services to healthcare providers for disease diagnosis and personalized medicine. The firm’s Physician’s Logic platform is a healthcare information resource for deploying results to physicians, and integrating data with electronic medical record systems.