Diagnovus, LLC, a molecular diagnostic company focused on underserved, aggressive, and lesser-known diseases, has entered into a license agreement with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to commercialize a genomic assay to help physicians diagnose and treat eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a debilitating inflammatory condition. The ENGAUGE GI-EoE test is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of EoE diagnosis. The technology is based on research conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
EoE is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus that impacts patients of all ages, although it is most common in children and in adults under 50 years of age. The symptoms include difficulty eating, failure to thrive, vomiting, chest or abdominal pain, problems swallowing, and food impaction. Until now, the only widely accepted means of diagnosing EoE has been based on histological analysis of esophageal biopsies, together with clinical symptoms.
The ENGAUGE GI-EoE is a proprietary gene expression assay that accurately identifies EoE and differentiates it from GERD or chronic esophagitis. The assay uses RT-PCR technology to assess a panel of 96 genes obtained from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsy material. Samples are analyzed at Diagnovus’ CLIA-certified laboratory.
“Diagnovus is committed to addressing the needs of patients with underserved diseases such as eosinophilic esophagitis,” says James Stover, PhD, president and co-founder of Diagnovus. “We are proud to collaborate with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on this disease and believe the results from this partnership will help many children and adult patients battling this difficult illness.” Learn more about products and services offered by Diagnovus.
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