Brain Tumor Biomarker Research Partnership HistoRx and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

HistoRx and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Initiate Brain Tumor Biomarker Research Partnership

 - Collaborative studies will use HistoRx AQUA(R)-based assays to evaluate
  clinical utility of protein biomarkers for predicting treatment response
                       and outcome in brain tumors -

    NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- HistoRx, Inc., announced
today that it has entered into a research collaboration with the Radiation
Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), a National Cancer Institute-funded clinical
cooperative group. Under the terms of the agreement, HistoRx will provide
RTOG researchers access to HistoRx's AQUA(R) technology for biomarker
analysis and will develop customized immunohistochemical assays to be used
by RTOG in investigating the relationship between specific protein
biomarkers and clinical responsiveness in brain tumor patients. HistoRx
intends to commercialize assays and reagents developed in the course of the
collaboration for clinical use as predictive diagnostics.
    The RTOG studies will use a combination of high-throughput tissue
microarrays, multiplex analysis, and AQUA(R) analysis-based assays to
determine whether brain tumor patients are likely to respond to a specific
targeted therapy and whether the biomarkers under investigation may be used
to predict survival.
    "We selected HistoRx's AQUA(R) technology based on its unique ability
to measure protein biomarker expression and localization in diseased tissue
sections in a precisely quantitative, reproducible, and standardized way,"
said Arnab Chakravarti, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and a member
of the RTOG Translational Research Program. "By eliminating the subjective
interpretation inherent in conventional qualitative immunohistochemical
analysis, we expect this collaboration will provide a substantial boost to
our research in brain cancer by enabling RTOG researchers to reveal
stronger, more reliable statistical correlations linking protein biomarker
expression with prediction of patient response to therapy and disease
outcome."
    "As the relationship between protein expression patterns and disease
gains an expanding role in new drug and diagnostic development and in the
way physicians treat patients and individualize therapeutic regimens, we
continue to advance our goal of replacing conventional immunohistochemistry
with AQUA(R) analysis, a more precise and consistent tool that is enabling
pathologists and clinicians to integrate data from predictive biomarker
studies confidently into research, diagnosis, and patient treatment," said
Rana K. Gupta, CEO of HistoRx. "We are pleased to have reached this
agreement with such a renowned organization as The Radiation Therapy
Oncology Group and to have its endorsement of the AQUA(R) technology's
predictive power and potential for developing companion diagnostic and
prognostic assays."
    About HistoRx (http://www.historx.com)
    HistoRx is a systems pathology company developing and commercializing
quantitative biomarker analysis technology that provides exceptional
measurement and localization of proteins in their natural context within
tissue. The pioneering HistoRx proprietary AQUA(R) (Automated Quantitative
Analysis) technology is the first platform capable of measuring biomarker
concentration with subcellular resolution to generate more precise,
efficient answers about the safety and effectiveness of new therapeutics in
development and to enable development of companion diagnostic tests for
targeted therapies. HistoRx services are used by pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies throughout the drug discovery, preclinical study,
and clinical development continuum. HistoRx has two lines of diagnostic
products in development: HistoRx companion diagnostic products are linked
to partners' drug candidates in development to predict prognostic outcome;
and HistoRx is independently developing AQUA(R)-based diagnostics for the
clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment management of complex
diseases.
    About RTOG
    The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) is a clinical research
enterprise of the American College of Radiology (ACR), located in the ACR
Philadelphia, PA office. RTOG is a multi-institutional international
clinical cooperative group funded primarily by the National Cancer
Institute. RTOG has over 35 years of experience in conducting clinical
trials and is comprised of over 280 major research institutions in the
United States and Canada. The group currently is conducting more than 40
active studies that involve radiation therapy alone or in conjunction with
surgery and/or chemotherapeutic drugs or which investigate quality of life
issues and their effects on the cancer patient.
    CONTACT:  Mary Moynihan
              M2Friend Biocommunications
              (802) 951-9600
              mary@m2friend.com