Cambridge licence to lead to first testing service for macular degeneration

Licensing agreement

A diagnostic test for age-related macular degeneration, which causes blindness in the elderly and is the commonest cause of blindness in Europe and the USA, is expected this year following a licensing agreement between Cambridge Enterprise Ltd and Canadian molecular diagnostics company ArcticDx.

Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation company of the University of Cambridge, concluded the deal for a single nucleotide polymorphism located in the complement C3 gene that has been shown to be a predictive indicator for the genetic diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration. The licence provides ArctixDx with rights to incorporate this SNP into a diagnostic test they are developing as a means of enhancing its accuracy.

ArcticDx designs develops and commercialises validated molecular diagnostic tests. Its business model is focused towards the rapid commercialisation of intellectual property from international gene discovery programmes. Other macular degeneration–related licensing deals it has concluded recently include agreements for patent use with Duke University and Vanderbilt University in the US.

Greg Hines, President and CEO of ArcticDx, said: “This will be the first time that clinicians will be able to diagnosis the condition before symptoms arise. This provides the opportunity for targeted patient education and routine eye examinations that offer early detection and disease management. Macular degeneration is a disease that can be arrested but it is not reversible. It is important to offer earlier treatment regimens that may arrest the disease before significant vision loss occurs.”

The research team working on complement C3 was lead by Professor John Yates from the University’s Department of Medical Genetics.  Professor Yates said: “We are delighted that six years of Medical Research Council–sponsored research has produced results that increase our understanding of this devastating disease and should lead to better treatments and outcomes for patients.”

Dr Maher Khaled of Cambridge Enterprise said: “The licence to ArcticDx represents a continuing interest in finding a solution to a medical condition that affects 1 in 15 people over the age of 75 and with an ageing population is a major public health problem. We look forward to the first test for age-related macular degeneration emerging from ArcticDx.”