May 9 2013
Cancer Genetics, Inc.’s (“CGI” or the “Company”) wholly-owned subsidiary, Cancer Genetics Italia, S.r.l. (“CGI Italia”), has entered into an agreement with Nikon Instruments S.p.A. (“Nikon”) for the distribution of oncology-focused DNA Probes intended for fluorescence in situ hybridization (“FISH”) in the Italian market.
This new partnership extends CGI’s global distribution network and provides more evidence that its best-in-class cancer diagnostic technologies are becoming widely accepted in the global oncology healthcare community.
FISH allows for the detection of targeted DNA rearrangements commonly found in cancers, and is therefore widely used for the diagnosis, outcome prediction and clinical management of cancer patients. Characterized by a fast turnaround time, high sensitivity, and the ability to study the cell cycle at different stages, this methodology represents the leading technology in the molecular cytogenetics market. With approximately 70,000 tests performed annually in Italy, this new partnership is expected to rapidly gain market share in Italy through the offering of a complete solution, including microscopy and reagents, to cytogenetics and cancer laboratories.
Nikon is ranked among the top microscope manufacturers worldwide, and offers a wide line of products intended to help laboratories to deliver quality research and clinical results. Nikon’s microscopes and imaging software systems, both automated and user-friendly, provide cytogenetics laboratories with solutions that improve workflow efficiency and reduce subjectivity. Combined with the CGI Italia DNA-FISH Probes, which allow for more efficient pinpointing of genetic aberrations, this full solution will allow laboratories to perform simultaneous multicolor FISH testing with complex image analysis in academic and clinical settings.
“Through research, CGI has designed and developed a set of outstanding DNA-FISH Probes for diagnosis of genomic aberrations currently recognized as essential in clinical practice,” says Raju Chaganti, professor at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and founder of the Company. “Joining hands with Nikon is a great opportunity for both companies, and it advances the cause of personalized cancer management.”
“Nikon appreciates the great opportunity to distribute CGI Italia DNA-FISH Probes in the Italian market. This partnership allows us to complete our instrumentation and consumables line for FISH applications,” says Cristiana Ricci of Nikon. “Nikon has developed, especially for the Oncology/Hematology field, a microspots system to investigate FISH on a microchannel, and CGI Italia’s probes are very important to complete our full solution offer for our customers.”
This partnership further enables the Company’s mission to provide clinical laboratory professionals with robustly designed products for FISH and cancer diagnostics. While focused initially on the Italian market, this partnership is expected to expand to other Western European countries. CGI estimates that over 350,000 FISH-based diagnostic tests are done annually in Western Europe.