BioWorld International Correspondent

PARIS - ExonHit Therapeutics SA announced the discovery, in collaboration with Roche Applied Science, of new blood markers for the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, in living animals.

Paris-based ExonHit applied its DATAS RNA profiling technology to cattle blood samples from Roche Applied Science, of Penzberg, Germany, and identified early, pre-symptomatic disease markers.

The resulting RNA splicing markers were validated by comparing 10 individual whole-blood samples from BSE-infected cattle with 10 individual whole-blood samples from control animals using two technologies: ExonHit applied its microarray analysis, while Roche carried out real-time PCR using the Roche LightCycler Instrument. Both techniques revealed the same three markers that discriminate between BSE-infected and healthy animals.

Under the agreement signed in May 2002, ExonHit retains all intellectual property rights to the markers identified and to their application in diagnostics. In addition, the agreement provides for Roche to pay ExonHit for its services and to negotiate a licensing agreement under which Roche would commercialize the product and ExonHit would receive royalties.

Roche Applied Science is a branch of Roche Diagnostics, a division of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland.

ExonHit pointed out that the development of a blood-based BSE test would enable infected animals to be diagnosed prior to death. Current BSE tests detect the protease-resistant form of the prion protein in brain samples of dead animals.

ExonHit's CEO, Bruno Tocqué, said the company was looking for a partner to develop a diagnostic for the veterinary market. He pointed out that the potential market was that much bigger, since "the confirmed presence of BSE in the United States" has increased pressure to identify diseased animals "before they enter the food chain."

In November ExonHit obtained a stock exchange listing on the Euronext Alternext market in Paris.