Trevigen, Inc. Releases the Only Commercially Available Pharmacodynamic Assay to Monitor DNA Double Strand Breaks in Cancer Patients

Gaithersburg, MD - Trevigen Inc. recently released a pharmacodynamic assay for the study of double strand DNA breaks through the detection of yH2AX- a phosphorylated histone historically proven as a highly specific and sensitive molecular marker for double strand DNA damage detection.

"Double strand breaks are among the most lethal forms for DNA Damage- causing genomic instability, chromosome aberration, or cell death. There are numerous anticancer drugs that are known to induce such DNA damage. As a response to double strand breaks the histone variant, H2AX is phosphorylated forming yH2AX. With Trevigen's pharmacodynamic assay researchers can study the levels of yH2AX post treatment " Says Dr. Jay George- the Chief Scientific officer at Trevigen Inc.

"Detection and analysis of yH2AX is currently being used in cancer research to evaluate the genotoxic effects of ionizing radiation, double strand break-inducing drugs, and environmental toxicity. The newly developed pharmacodynamic assay by Trevigen, Inc. could be used by researchers and clinicians for monitoring efficacy of treatment on cancer cells and estimating the individual radiosensitivity or drug dosage in patients. "- President of Trevigen, Inc. Michael Elliott.

The assay documents differences in yH2AX levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, cultured cells, and tissue biopsies. It is the only commercially available assay for this purpose, and is available as a complete reagent kit with chemiluminescent detection.

"Trevigen's yH2AX pharmacodynamic assay is a very useful assay providing precise quantitation of yH2AX formation. The assay is easy to perform, fast, and displays good linear range and excellent reproducibility between replicate samples." Says Alexei Degretev from Tufts University, one of the initial beta-testers of the product, testing compounds on the HeLa cell line.

Trevigen, Inc. develops, produces and markets biotechnology research products used in cancer research and regenerative medicine. The company is also a recipient of multiple NIH grants and contracts.

For more information, visit www.trevigen.com.