ROCHE : Joins in Spanish Research Cooperation for Personalized Treatment of Hepatitis B and C
04/06/2011 | 08:05am
Roche Diagnostics (SIX:
RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) is cooperating with the Spanish Vall d'Hebron
Institute of Research (VHIR), the Networking Biomedical Research Centre
in Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD), and the software producer
Advanced Biological Laboratories Therapy Edge Spain (ABL) in a study
designed to resolve the current limitations that prevent the
individualization of anti-HBV and anti-HCV (hepatitis B and C)
treatments. The project will utilize Roche's
454 Sequencing Systems and bioinformatics analysis, together with
other genetic and molecular analytical techniques. Ultimately, the
research project aims to identify personalized treatment for each
individual while minimizing the healthcare costs and side effects
experienced by subjects.
Hepatitis C (HCV) infection affects 3% of the world population,
representing a chronic disease for nearly 180 million people. Many
infected individuals acquire the disease 15-25 years before
identification of the virus and the use of diagnostic tests. The
infection remains asymptomatic until advanced stages of the disease
characterized by complications such as decompensated cirrhosis or
hepatocellular carcinoma. While in the early stages resource use for
controlling the disease is very limited, in the advanced stages resource
consumption is enormous, and a significant percentage of individuals
even require liver transplantation - with the resulting increase in
direct and indirect costs, loss of quality of life and increased
morbidity-mortality.
"The hepatitis C and B viruses exhibit great variability; a person
infected with one of these viruses presents a complex population of
variants comprising a structure known as 'quasispecies'. The
identification of these variants may be crucial for avoiding the
selection of variants resistant to the new antiviral therapies,"
explains Dr. Juan Ignacio Esteban-Mur, head of the line in hepatitis C,
molecular biology, immune response and treatment of the liver diseases
at VHIR. Dr. Esteban-Mur also is the coordinator of the viral hepatitis
program of the CIBERHED, which comprises 8 Spanish research groups,
specialized in this field.
The use of 454 Sequencing Systems makes it possible to gain a
comprehensive profile of the complex viral populations that circulate in
individuals, with the fundamental purpose of identifying the presence of
viral quasispecies resistant to the existing antiviral treatments. The
goal of the study is to apply this massively parallel sequencing
approach to personalize the antiviral treatment strategies in
individuals with chronic hepatitis C or B.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in
research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals
and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company with truly
differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism
and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics,
tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management.
Roche's personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and
diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health,
quality of life and survival of patients. In 2010, Roche had over 80'000
employees worldwide and invested over 9 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The
Group posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United
States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a
majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: www.roche.com.
For life science research only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
454, 454 LIFE SCIENCES, and 454 SEQUENCING, are trademarks of Roche.
Other brands or product names are trademarks of their respective holders.
Roche Diagnostics
Dr. Burkhard Ziebolz
Phone: +49 8856 604830
Email:
burkhard.ziebolz@roche.com
© Business Wire 2011
