RNA Diagnostics

Rna Diagnostics to present at IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference

jconnolly — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:46 +0000

May 1, 2012 Rna Diagnostics Clinical Advisory Board Chair, Dr. Maureen Trudeau will be presenting a scientific abstract entitled “A novel RNA test to guide primary systemic breast cancer chemotherapy” at the 4th annual IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference taking place in Brussels, Belguim from May 3-5. Rna Diagnostics presence at IMPAKT is an important milestone for the company as Europe represents an important lead market for RDA™
IMPAKT is an annual conference that was launched in 2009 by the Breast International Group (BIG) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), in collaboration with a multidisciplinary alliance of European breast cancer organizations and patient groups. This meeting will also involve Rna Diagnostics meeting with European key opinion leaders (KOL’s) focused on improving outcomes for breast cancer patients.

Rna Diagnostics appoints Dr. Harry Bear to Clinical Advisory Board

gariano — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:00:19 +0000

Toronto ON, Canada (March 28, 2012)
Rna Diagnostics Inc., a molecular diagnostics company developing diagnostic tools to assist in the management of cancer chemotherapy, announced today that it has appointed Dr. Harry D. Bear to the company’s Clinical Advisory Board.
Dr. Bear is the Walter Lawrence Jr. Distinguished Professor of Oncology, Chairman, Division of Surgical Oncology Virginia Commonwealth University, and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia, USA. He is a member of the NSABP Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Bear received the Distinguished Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award from the NSABP Foundation, Inc. in 2009. The NSABP is a U.S.A based, national cooperative group that develops and conducts clinical studies to improve treatments and outcomes for breast and colorectal cancers. Its acronym stands for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.
During the past two decades, Dr. Bear, a researcher and surgeon, has led international trials that have resulted in major changes in the treatment of breast cancer and dramatically increased the chance for breast conservation among women with breast cancer.
Rna Diagnostics is a molecular diagnostics company developing the RNA Disruption Assay™ (RDA™), a novel test that helps cancer specialists rapidly assess the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy. RDA™ which determines whether chemotherapy is working effectively in the individual patient early during treatment helps guide clinical decision making. “Rna Diagnostics is very pleased to have Dr. Bear join our Clinical Advisory Board, his commitment to improving
treatments and outcomes for breast cancer patients will be especially valuable to Rna Diagnostics as we rapidly advance RDA™ towards clinical practice” said Ken Pritzker, Chief Executive Officer of Rna Diagnostics.
“This new diagnostic tool has great potential to help oncologists treating breast cancer patients make earlier assessments about whether the treatment being used is going to be successful. If the test says “yes,” the treatment would continue on course; but if the answer is “no,” then a change in therapeutic approach (either different drugs or surgery) might be more appropriate.” Said Dr. Bear
Dr. Bear joins current Rna Diagnostics Clinical Advisory Board members;
Dr. Maureen Trudeau, MD, FRCPC,Head of Medical Oncology/Haematology, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto, and Chair Rna Diagnostics Clinical Advisory Board as well as, Dr. Gunter von Minckwitz, M.D., Ph.D. Managing Director of the German Breast Group and member of the Board of Directors of Breast International Group and; Dr. Michael Untch, MD, PhD Head of Clinic for Gynecology, Gynecologic Oncology and Obstetrics as well as Head of Interdisciplinary Breast Cancer Center HELIOS Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Germany. About Rna Diagnostics Inc.
Rna Diagnostics Inc. is an Ontario, Canada based private molecular diagnostics
company commercializing cancer therapy guidance tools to improve clinical
outcomes for cancer patients.

Four Angel Groups Close Syndicated Life Science Investment

gariano — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:44:36 +0000

March 14, 2012 – Toronto, Ontario, CANADA — York Angel Investors (YAI), announced today that an investment
syndicate comprised of members of York Angels, the Golden Triangle Angel Network (GTAN), the Georgian Angel
Network (GAN), and the Niagara Angel Network (NAN), has closed an investment in the amount of $ CDN 925,000
in Rna Diagnostics Inc. of Toronto Ontario.
“The investment in Rna Diagnostics is particularly significant, as the raise represents the collaborative efforts
of members of four angel groups from across the province of Ontario,” said Rob Douglas, President of GTAN.
“We are pleased that we were contacted by Rna Diagnostics so early in their investment search and as such, we
are today, very pleased to be involved with this very exciting and promising company. We would also like to thank
Marc Castel of GTAN for his work in coordinating the investment process across the participating angel groups.”
said Scott MacCannell, President of York Angel Investors Inc.
“We are delighted with the investment by the accredited Ontario Angel Investment Groups,” said Dr. Ken
Pritzker, President and CEO of Rna Diagnostics Inc. “This funding will support the ongoing development of RDA
a groundbreaking diagnostic test that will improve patient outcomes and reduce breast cancer treatment
costs.”
About Rna Diagnostics: Rna Diagnostics Inc. (www.rnadiagnostics.com) is a molecular diagnostics company
developing diagnostic tools to assist in the management of cancer chemotherapy. The company’s first
product, RNA Disruption Assay™ (RDA™), is a novel test that helps oncologists to rapidly assess the
effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy. RDA can determine whether chemotherapy is working effectively in
the individual patient early in treatment thereby guiding clinical decision making.

OGI Invests in Molecular Diagnostic to Monitor Patient Response to Chemotherapy

jconnolly — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:00:06 +0000

Toronto, March 1, 2012 – Through its Pre-Commercialization Business Development Fund (PBDF), the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has invested in Rna Diagnostics Inc., an early-stage molecular diagnostics company developing assays aimed at assisting in the management of cancer chemotherapy. The company will use the PBDF investment to further develop and validate their lead product, the RNA Disruption Assay™ (RDA™).
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among woman in Canada (not including skin cancer) and about half of these patients will be treated with chemotherapy drugs. Although all of these patients will endure the adverse side effects of chemotherapy, only a portion will benefit from the therapy. This assay is designed to indicate if a patient is responding to therapy earlier in treatment than current methods. Understanding patient response early can confirm whether a chemotherapy regimen is effective or whether treatment should be modified or discontinued for a particular patient. This assay has the potential to be a valuable tool in terms of helping provide a personalized approach to chemotherapy management and also in terms of providing significant cost savings for the healthcare system.
“One of the key aims of personalized medicine is to provide the right medicine to the right patient at the right time. This assay monitors molecular data from a particular patient to help inform clinical decisions for that patient,” commented Dr. Mark Poznansky, President and CEO, OGI. “Rna Diagnostics has the potential to create innovative products for the Canadian healthcare system and beyond.”
Rna Diagnostic’s lead technology is based on intellectual property developed at Laurentian University. The company’s research laboratory remains based in Sudbury, Ontario, with corporate offices located in Toronto.
“The investment from OGI will help support validation of the RDA™ assay including a clinical trial as part of the development of a prototype clinical system,” commented Dr. Kenneth Pritzker, President & CEO of Rna Diagnostics. “This work will help us in the development of a first generation product for early adopter clinical centres in Canada and globally.”
OGI’s PBDF program invests in opportunities — based in genomics, proteomics or associated technologies — that fall in the proof-of-principle (validation) phase of research and that have the short-term potential to secure a significant next step towards the marketplace. Previous recipients have included Ontario universities, research institutes and companies.
About OGI
The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) is a private, not-for-profit corporation focused on using world-class research to create strategic genomics resources and accelerate Ontario’s development of a globally-competitive life sciences sector. Through its relationship with Genome Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI), and other private and public sector partners, OGI works to: identify, attract and support investment in Ontario-led genomics research; catalyze access to and the impact of genomics resources; and, raise the visibility of genomics as well as its impact and associated issues.
For more information on OGI, please visit www.OntarioGenomics.ca

Dr. Gunter von Minckwitz & Dr. Michael Untch, from the German Breast Group, join Rna’s clinical advisory board.

chris — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:31:01 +0000

Rna Diagnostics has secured $100k funding from Health Technology Exchange (HTX).

chris — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:30:29 +0000

Steve Arless, founder and former CEO of Cryocath Technologies, joins business advisory board.

chris — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:44:04 +0000

New Clinical Advisory Board Member, Dr. Maureen Trudeau

chris — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:41:05 +0000

Dr. Maureen Trudeau, Head of Medical Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, has joined the Rna Diagnostics clinical advisory board.

Rna Diagnostics wins first prize at TieQuest

chris — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:39:09 +0000

Rna Diagnostics wins first prize in the TieQuest 2011 business venture competition, as well as Best Health Care Industry company and joint winner of Best Intellectual Property.

Ontario-based organizations commit $300k in funding to Rna Diagnostics

chris — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 02:50:10 +0000

Rna Diagnostics secures $300k in funding commitments from Ontario-based organizations.

Rna Diagnostics wins first prize in the Sanofi Pasteur Healthcare and Biotechnology Venture Challenge.

chris — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:51:49 +0000

Rna Diagnostics wins first prize in the Sanofi Pasteur Healthcare and Biotechnology Venture Challenge.

Rna Diagnostics signs services contract with London Health Science Centre to provide RNA quality and gene expression profiling services.

chris — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:53:23 +0000

Rna Diagnostics signs services contract with London Health Science Centre to provide RNA quality and gene expression profiling services.

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research awards $381,000 grant to continue RDA technologies.

chris — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:55:23 +0000

April 2010 Dr. Amadeo Parissenti’s work on RDA was recognized by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research with a grant of $381,000 to continue his investigations into RDA technologies.