Moffitt Cancer Center is partnering with Xceed Molecular to complete the clinical development and validation of a gene signature for colon cancer, which is designed to predict the likelihood of disease-free survival of patients with colon cancer using biopsy tissues from a colonoscopy. The goal is to develop a new molecular test that is more predictive of patient prognosis than currently available assays. The Moffitt team includes Timothy J. Yeatman, M.D., Steven A. Eschrich, Ph.D., Gregory Bloom, Ph.D and Steven Enkemann, M.S., Ph.D.

Renowned for its commitment to the prevention and cure of cancer, Moffitt is collaborating with Xceed research scientists to finalize the list of genes in the signature that will be included on the colon cancer TipChip (the consumable microarray device used by Xceed's Ziplex System). Together, Moffitt and Xceed will determine the clinical utility of the colon cancer TipChip and the technical and commercial feasibility of developing a diagnostic test.

Dr. Yeatman said, "With the diagnostic tests currently available today, it's often difficult to distinguish aggressive from non-aggressive colon cancer. We have high hopes that the gene signature that we are developing may be useful in helping physicians to make critical treatment decisions, but the great challenge in this field has been turning promising biomarkers into routine diagnostic tools. We believe that Xceed, with its Ziplex System, is the right partner to help us move our discoveries out of the research lab and into the clinical lab to make meaningful improvements in patient care."