Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Fri, August 27, 2010
Thu, August 26, 2010
Wed, August 25, 2010 Celera Announces Issuance of United States Patent Relating to LPA Gene Variant Associated With Increased Risk for Myocardial In
ALAMEDA, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Celera Corporation (NASDAQ:CRA) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued United States Patent 7,781,168 relating to methods of determining heart attack risk by detecting the Ile4399Met genetic polymorphism in the protease-like domain of LPA.
"We believe that Celera's patent estate will provide our products and services with long-term market protection."
Studies have shown this variant of the LPA gene is associated with a two-fold higher risk of major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and cardiovascular death)1-4. The increased risk of cardiovascular events observed in LPA carriers was independent of other well known risk factors associated with cardiovascular events, including hypertension, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, and age, which further supports the conclusion that a LPA gene variantis an independent predictor of risk for myocardial infarction. LPA encodes apolipoprotein (a) a protein component of Lp(a) plasma lipoprotein particles and the gene variant results in an amino acid substitution (methionine for isoleucine) in the protease-like domain of apolipoprotein(a). Carriers of the LPA gene variant also had higher plasma Lp(a) levels.
aWea™re pleased with the issuance of this patent on the LPA gene varianta™s association with increased risk for myocardial infarction,a said Kathy Ordoez, Chief Executive Officer of Celera. aWe believe that Celera's patent estate will provide our products and services with long-term market protection.a
A genetic analysis of the Womena™s Health Study of 25,131 initially healthy participants published by Celera and its collaborators at Brigham and Womena™s Hospital confirmed the increased disease risk associated with this LPA variant and further demonstrated that carriers appeared to benefit more from aspirin therapy than noncarriers5. Patent applications relating to this aspect of the LPA gene variant are currently pending.
About Celera
Celera is a healthcare business focusing on the integration of genetic testing into routine clinical care through a combination of products and services incorporating proprietary discoveries. Berkeley HeartLab, a subsidiary of Celera, offers services to predict cardiovascular disease risk and improve patient management. Celera also commercializes a wide range of molecular diagnostic products through Abbott and has licensed other relevant diagnostic technologies developed to provide personalized disease management in cancer. Information about Celera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at [ http://www.celera.com ].
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "believe," "plan," and "should," among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Celera Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Celera notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not limited to: (1) Celera is using novel and unproven methods to discover markers for the development of new diagnostic products, which may not be successful; (2) the diagnostic industry is very competitive, and new diagnostic products may not be accepted and adopted by the market; (3) demand for diagnostic products may be adversely affected if users of these products cannot receive adequate reimbursement for these products from third party payors such as private insurance companies and government insurance plans; (4) potential product liability or other claims against Celera as a result of the testing or use of its products; and (5) uncertainty of the availability to Celera of intellectual property protection, including with respect to its pending patent applications relating to the LPA gene variant, limitations on its ability to protect trade secrets, the risk to it of infringement claims, and the possibility that it may need to license intellectual property from third parties to avoid or settle such claims. The foregoing list sets forth some, but not all, of the factors that could affect Celera's ability to achieve results described in any forward-looking statements. For additional information about the risks and uncertainties that Celera faces and a discussion of its financial statements and footnotes, see documents filed by Celera with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and all subsequent periodic reports. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Celera does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law.
1. Luke M, et al. (2007) Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 27: 2030-2036.
2. Shiffman D, et al. (2008) PLoS ONE 3: e2895.
3. Clarke R, et al. (2009) N Engl J Med 361: 2518-2528.
4. Shiffman, D, et al. (2010) Atherosclerosis May 13. [Epub ahead of print].
5. Chasman D, et al. (2009) Atherosclerosis 203: 371-376.
Copyright© 2010. Celera Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Celera is a registered trademark of Celera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.
