MUKILTEO, Wash., Aug. 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- CombiMatrix Corporation (Nasdaq:CBMX) announced today that renowned cancer expert, Colin Collins, Ph.D., has joined the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of its subsidiary reference laboratory Combimatrix Molecular Diagnostics (CMDX).
Dr. Collins is an Associate Professor of Urology at the Cancer Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is one of the world's leading authorities in the emerging field of oncogenomics, which is the study of the causal basis of cancer. More specifically, Dr. Collins is considered a leading authority on prostate cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death among adult males. As one of the most prolific authors and innovators in his genre, Dr. Collins has published widely and holds multiple patents in the cancer field. His research has led to the identification of several genetic markers that have helped to better risk stratify cancer patients, which approach, in turn, has facilitated the administration of better therapeutic options. In addition to his work in prostate cancer, Dr. Collins's laboratory was responsible for the discovery of the ZNF217 gene and for elucidating its critical role in breast cancer. Over expression of this gene functions to make tumor cells hardier and more resistant to certain drugs. Additionally, Dr. Collins invented, and was awarded a patent for, a new method of analyzing the structure of tumor genomes called End Sequence Profiling (ESP). The latter has been credited with fundamentally transforming the way in which tumors are studied.
"The application of genomic discoveries to our approach in diagnosing, and ultimately treating, cancers has transformed the molecular diagnostics industry," said Dr. Collins. "I strongly believe that the company best able to efficiently convert high caliber genomic discoveries to high caliber diagnostic tests will lead the industry in this growing and lucrative sector of the diagnostic market. I am convinced that CombiMatrix is ideally positioned to do just this, and I am excited to have the opportunity to help them expand that market leadership position."
"I am very pleased to have someone of Dr. Collins's considerable accomplishment and innovativeness in the field of cancer research join our science advisory board," said Dr. Mansoor Mohammed, President and Chief Executive Officer of CMDX. "Our ability to engage world class scientists like Dr. Collins is testament to our caliber as a company. He brings to our team a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help to accelerate our efforts to expand our continually growing portfolio of revolutionary tests to include, amongst others, our anticipated prostate cancer test by the end of the year."
More information about Dr. Collins can be found at http://urology.ucsf.edu/faculty/facCollins.html.
ABOUT COMBIMATRIX CORPORATION
CombiMatrix Corporation is a diversified biotechnology business, through the development of proprietary technologies, products and services in the areas of drug development, genetic analysis, molecular diagnostics, nanotechnology research, defense and homeland security markets, as well as other potential markets where our products and services could be utilized. The technologies we have developed include a platform technology to rapidly produce customizable, in-situ synthesized, oligonucleotide arrays for use in identifying and determining the roles of genes, gene mutations and proteins. This technology has a wide range of potential applications in the areas of genomics, proteomics, biosensors, drug discovery, drug development, diagnostics, combinatorial chemistry, material sciences and nanotechnology. Other technologies include proprietary molecular synthesis and screening methods for the discovery of potential new drugs. CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics, Inc. ("CMDX"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company located in Irvine, California, has developed capabilities of producing arrays that utilize bacterial artificial chromosomes, which also enable genetic analysis..
Additional information about CombiMatrix Corporation is available at www.combimatrix.com or call toll free: 1-800-710-0624.
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