AviaraDx joins Molecular Medicine Menter in supporting cancer tests: Ernst & Young Red Flags La Jolla Pharma's Financials

San Diego Business Journal, March 24, 2008 by Heather Chambers

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Michigan-based Center for Molecular Medicine announced an agreement March 3 with San Diego-based AviaraDx Inc. to support three new tests that help physicians personalize cancer treatments.

Under the agreement, the molecular medicine center will educate physicians on the value and clinical utility of the tests and coordinate quality controlled sample preparation and shipping.

AviaraDx will analyze the tumor samples in San Diego using tests that pinpoint the tumor's organ of origin.

Terms of the deal were not revealed.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Identification of the site of origin of a metastatic tumor is a thorny problem in a small but significant portion of metastatic cancer cases," said Daniel Farkas, executive director of Center for Molecular Medicine, a joint venture between Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health and Van Andel Institute.

AviaraDx is focused on developing and commercializing molecular diagnostic technologies for personalized medicine in the area of cancer treatment. The company has targeted cancer markets with three first-in-class molecular cancer profiling technologies: CancerTYPE ID, Breast Cancer Profiling (H/I and MGI), Prostate Cancer Prognosis and Prediction of Drug Response. AviaraDx has licensed some of its technologies for specific clinical indications to reference laboratories in the United States and Europe.