LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PGXL Technologies has formed a strategic partnership with NX PharmaGen Inc. (NXPG) to support the identification of biomarkers using their NeXosomeTM microparticle enrichment technology. Exosomes and microparticles, which are found in bodily fluids, will aid diagnosis and treatment of cancer, immunological disorders, preterm birth, diseases of the central nervous system and other medical conditions.
Under this partnership, NXPG and PGXL Technologies are forming the PGXL NeXosomeTM Center of Excellence, whose mission is to provide access to advanced technologies that isolate and analyze exosomes and particles in bodily fluids. This center is the first of its kind to offer access to the NeXosomeTM enrichment platform and downstream assay development in a CLIA setting, with a mission to accelerate new discoveries into clinically useful applications.
“We’re providing an opportunity for researchers and pharmaceutical companies to increase their competencies in extracellular vesicle biology and to gain access to our methods of enrichment while simultaneously providing quality control in developing novel biomarkers of interest,” says Alan M. Ezrin, PhD, NXPG’s CEO. “We’re pleased to enter into this relationship with PGXL, as their competencies in a variety of molecular diagnostic techniques are quite complementary to our NeXosome platform.”
“NX PharmaGen has developed unique exosome-based tools,” says Dr. Roland Valdes, Jr., President of PGXL Laboratories. “As a CLIA-certified lab, PGXL is well-positioned to rapidly commercialize the NeXosome platform, making it available to researchers who wish to pursue their biomarker research with rigor, speed, precision and efficiency.”
Exosomes and microparticles are routinely shed from every cell in the body and can serve as rich sources of proteomic and genomic signals of tissue dysfunction. The information in these particles is extremely stable and the focus of intense interest in the scientific community, as exemplified by extensive NIH funding and ongoing research.
More than 3,000 studies have been published referencing exosomes and microparticles in an array of medical disciplines treating almost every part of the body and brain. The potential impact of the high-speed, high-accuracy NeXosome platform is virtually limitless.
“The PGXL NeXosome Center of Excellence brings PGXL a significant capability in the advancement of Personalized Medicine,” says Valdes. “We make it possible for researchers to look deeper and deeper into the molecular function of different illnesses and conditions. The more we understand about those deep functions, the better we can design treatments individualized for particular patients.”
The NeXosome platform complements PGXL’s existing single cell separation capability, which uses DEPArrayTM technology to isolate individual cells for analysis. Together, the NeXosome and DEPArray give PGXL Technologies a unique ability to detect cancer long before it appears on even the most discerning scans and imaging technology. PGXL makes both the single-cell DEPArray and the sub-cellular NeXosome platforms available to individuals and companies researching diagnostic techniques.
“We handle the isolation and enrichment of exosomic materials,” says Ezrin, “so researchers can spend their valuable time and dollars on the interpretation of their data. That’s where they’re going to have an impact.”
ABOUT PGXL TECHNOLOGIES
PGXL Technologies, the sister company of PGXL Laboratories, was formed to identify and develop commercial applications of technologies enabling Personalized Medicine. Its unique cell separation technology enables the isolation and study of individual cells, in particular circulating tumor cells.
ABOUT PGXL LABORATORIES
PGXL Laboratories was the first lab in the country CLIA-certified specifically to conduct pharmacogenetic tests for Personalized Medicine. It provides genetic testing and interpretation for a broad range of medical conditions, and has developed proprietary genetic test panels for cardiology, pain management and psychiatry. In 2014, it opened an anatomic pathology lab with an emphasis on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Together, the molecular and AP labs provide unique, in-depth diagnostic capabilities without the difficulty of gathering and submitting multiple tissue and cell samples.
Along with its clinical practice, PGXL performs contract research for developers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
ABOUT NX PHARMAGEN
NX PharmaGen Inc. is developer of clinical-stage products based on two proprietary technologies: the NeXosomeTM molecular diagnostics platform, and the GliolanTM tumor imaging platform. The NeXosome platform enables the non-invasive evaluation of changing biomarker signatures associated with prenatal and oncology conditions through novel methods of isolating, enriching, and analyzing circulating microparticles (often referred to as exosomes or microvesicles). Gliolan is approved for sale in over 30 countries worldwide to assist neurosurgeons in the intraoperative visualization of malignant glioma tumors, and in conjunction with the European developer of Gliolan, the Company is pursuing commercialization of this product in North America.
