BETHLEHEM, Pa., July 1, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CeGaT, a leading, innovative laboratory that provides a wide array of molecular diagnostics tests, has announced an agreement with N-of-One, Inc., the leader in clinical interpretation for precision medicine in oncology. Under this agreement, N-of-One will provide clinical interpretation for CeGaT's next-generation sequencing (NGS) tests done for cancer patients. Financial terms of the agreement are not disclosed.
CeGaT has developed a next-generation sequencing panel to analyze more than 550 cancer-relevant genes in a tumor sample simultaneously. Knowledge about the relevant mutations in a tumor helps clinicians select the most effective therapeutic strategies. CeGaT is partnering with N-of-One to provide high quality, up-to-date interpretation of mutations with very rapid turnaround times.
N-of-One's clinical interpretation provides the relevant biological and clinical knowledge related to the mutation profile of a tumor identified by sequencing. This in turn links the knowledge to relevant therapeutic strategies, in some cases including clinical trials.
"CeGaT offers a new tool for tumor diagnostics that helps oncologists decide on the most effective therapeutic options for a patient," said Saskia Biskup, MD, PhD, CeGaT co-founder and Managing Director. "N-of-One will provide the fast, scalable and high quality interpretation of variants needed to meet demand."
"CeGaT's industry-leading molecular diagnostics solutions, coupled with N-of-One's deep expertise in clinical interpretation in oncology, will enable broader patient access to personalized medicine for cancer patients in a cost-effective manner." said Chris Cournoyer, CEO of N-of-One.
CeGaT, in partnership with B. Braun Medical, recently established a US-based subsidiary. The company, B. Braun CeGaT, LLC, is based in Pennsylvania and will offer the full range of CeGaT's diagnostic testing menu to the US market.
About B Braun US
B. Braun Medical Inc. (B.Braun), a leader in infusion therapy and pain management, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medical products and services to the healthcare industry. The Company is committed to eliminating preventable treatment errors and enhancing patient, clinician and environmental safety. Guided by its "Sharing Expertise®" philosophy, B.Braun continuously exchanges knowledge with customers, partners and clinicians to address the critical issues of improving care and lowering costs.
The B.Braun Group of Companies in the U.S. includes B.Braun, B.Braun Interventional Systems, Aesculap® and CAPS®. B.Braun's U.S. headquarters is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The B.Braun Group of Companies employs more than 50,000 employees in more than 60 countries throughout the world. To learn more about B.Braun visit www.BBraunUSA.com.
About CeGaT
CeGaT GmbH, Tuebingen (Germany), was founded by Saskia Biskup, M.D., PhD, and Dirk Biskup, PhD, in 2009. The basis of CeGaTs success is an established high-throughput process for the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in diagnostic testing and the up-to-date knowledge of hereditary genetic diseases.
CeGaT is a diagnostic company which is renowned for identifying the pathogenic gene variation of a patient. Single gene testing (which was state-of-the-art until 2010), would not detect the causative gene variation in 80-90% of all cases. Consequently, CeGaT has invented and established Diagnostic Panels: By simultaneously sequencing all genes associated with a certain disease applying next-generation sequencing platforms, the probability of finding the causative gene variation is extremely high. In addition, this approach is much faster and considerably less expensive than the classical gene by gene sequencing.
CeGaT has established a total of 159 Diagnostic Panels, covering more than 1,800 individual genes. The sequencing data are interpreted based on the latest scientifical knowledge and are summarized in a medical report.
CeGaT was awarded best German Start-Up Company in 2011 and Entrepreneur of the Year 2013. CeGaT also was Top 3 finalist in Boston Children's Clarity Challenge 2012 (and the only participant worldwide to correctly flag every likely genetic mutation in all three families).