WELLESLEY, Mass., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — Xceed Molecular, a pioneer in the development of cost-effective, easy-to-use gene-expression analysis systems, announced that renowned breast cancer researcher and Xceed collaborator, Dr. James L. Wittliff, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Louisville, will be a featured speaker at the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Annual Meeting. Dr. Wittliff’s presentation, “Predicting Breast Cancer Outcome with Gene Expression Signatures on the Ziplex System” is scheduled from 3 to 4 pm on Thursday, October 30, in the Dallas 1-2 Room. The company also announced that it will feature its award-winning Ziplex Automated Gene-Expression System at the conference in booth 519. Currently available for research use only, the Ziplex System is the first integrated system for automated gene-expression analysis. It comprises an automated hybridization workstation, TipChip consumable arrays, reagents, and analysis/reporting software. The AMP 2008 Annual Meeting and Exhibits takes place October 29 through November 2, 2008, at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.
“Visitors to the AMP conference will have a great opportunity to hear Dr. Wittliff’s presentation on his exciting research predicting risk of breast cancer recurrence and to learn how the Ziplex System is integral to his study process,” said Xceed’s President and CEO, David Deems. “The Ziplex System is rapidly becoming the standard platform for the nation’s leading institutions performing translational research. Xceed designed the Ziplex System with turnkey functionality and significant advances in automation, array format, parallel sample processing, and analytics to minimize complexity, user interaction, and variability between users and sites.”
According to Dr. Wittliff, “Advantages of the Ziplex automated system to our research include retention of tissue biopsy custody and the rapid, reproducible analyses of gene subsets to investigate breast cancer behavior in order to identify clinically relevant molecular signatures.”
Dr. Wittliff was among the first investigators to prove that the expression of estrogen receptors in breast cancer predicted a patient’s response to hormone therapy. This finding led to collaborations with the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project (NSABP), establishing Tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer and use of receptor proteins as tissue biomarkers of a patient’s prognosis and response. With NEN/Dupont, Dr. Wittliff developed the original FDA-approved kits for assessing receptors in biopsies. His laboratory was designated the National Reference Facility for performing quality assurance (QA) surveys of receptor testing for historical clinical trials in North America and for establishing the College of American Pathologists QA Surveys. In recognition of his contributions to medicine, the University of Innsbruck, Austria, awarded Dr. Wittliff, Doctor of Medicine honoris causa. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry honored him with an award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry in a Selected Area of Research; he is also the recipient of the Distinguished Scientist’s Award by the Clinical Ligand Assay Society. In 2004, the American Cancer Society recognized his lifetime achievements with the Goldsmith Research Excellence Award. His research team is now working with Xceed to develop clinically related tests for breast and other cancers using its proprietary Ziplex System. Dr. Wittliff’s discoveries and development of a unique tumor marker database resulted in the filing of new patents for the University of Louisville and the licensing of his technologies.
About Xceed Molecular (http://www.xceedmolecular.com/)
Xceed’s vision is to advance molecular diagnostics by successfully translating novel multiplex tests into routine clinical practice and to create robust diagnostic solutions to improve disease outcomes. Our products comprise the award-winning Ziplex System for automated gene-expression analysis (available in the US and Canada for research use only), gene-expression services, and pre-configured arrays – Xpress Chips. Xceed is also developing multiplexed genomic tests for the Ziplex platform, both internally and with strategic partners. Xceed’s R&D and manufacturing are headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with executive offices in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Xceed Molecular
CONTACT: Media, Caroline Grossman, +1-781-771-5579,[email protected]; or Company, Susan Josey, +1-972-317-8948,[email protected]
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