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Contact:         Lindsay Polak
                      Technology Transfer Office
                      University of Colorado
                      (303) 735-5518
                      lindsay.polak@cu.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CU GENE TEST TO HELP LUNG CANCER PATIENTS GET BEST THERAPY
Under a new collaboration between four bio industry giants, a CU gene technology will be used to test for potential response to lung cancer therapy.

March 7, 2008 (Aurora, CO) On March 7 Abbott announced that its molecular diagnostics business has entered into an agreement with Genentech, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop a gene test to assess the clinical benefit of Tarceva® (erlotinib), an oral tablet used to treat patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. Under the agreement, Abbott will utilize a test to detect extra copies of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene using its proprietary fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology in NSCLC.

The methodology for measuring extra copies of the EGFR gene was developed by Drs. Marileila Varella Garcia, Fred Hirsch, Paul Bunn, and Wilbur Franklin of the University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) and Dr. Federico Cappuzzo, now of the Instituto Clinico Humanitas in Milan, Italy. The methodology was developed using Abbott’s proprietary FISH technology, through a continuing collaboration with Abbott.  

“We are enthusiastic about being able to use molecular markers to select and predict the best therapy for an individual cancer,” said Dr. Paul Bunn, UCCC Director. “This is the start of the era of personalized medicine.”

“This collaboration punctuates the clinical impact of translational research at the University of Colorado, resulting in improvements in both the economics of drug development and the standards of patient care,” said Rick Silva, Director of Technology Transfer for UC-Denver. “The project has demonstrated an exemplary role for technology transfer in facilitating an investment by Abbott and their partners in the promise of translational medicine.”

About the CU Technology Transfer Office
The CU Technology Transfer Office pursues, protects, packages, and licenses to business the intellectual property generated from research at CU. The TTO provides assistance to faculty, staff, and students, as well as to businesses looking to license or invest in CU technology. For more information about technology transfer at CU, visit www.cu.edu/techtransfer.

About the University of Colorado
The University of Colorado is a three-campus system with campuses in Boulder and Colorado Springs, and a Denver campus located in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. CU is a premier teaching and research university, ranked sixth among public institutions in federal research expenditures by the National Science Foundation. Academic prestige is marked by CU’s four Nobel laureates, seven Mac Arthur “genius” Fellows, 18 astronauts, 19 Rhodes Scholars and CU-Boulder’s ranking of 11th best public university in the world by the Institute for Higher Education. For further information, please visit http://www.cu.edu.