SkylineDx,a commercial-stage biotech company, has received a notice of allowance for a Japanese patent related to its prognostic SKY92 gene signature for multiple myeloma. The announcement comes as SkylineDx prepares to attend the 78th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Hematology (JSH2016) in Pacifico Yokohama, October 13 -15, 2016.

The SKY92 signature consists of 92 genes that are informative of outcome related to multiple myeloma, the combined expression level of which can be measured using MMprofiler, the lead product of SkylineDx. Clinicians can use MMprofiler with SKY92 results to predict for their patients how multiple myeloma is likely to progress and assist with determining the optimal treatment for the patient.

The patent is part of a larger patent family, since SkylineDx has sought broad patent protection for the SKY92 gene signature. The patent was originally filed by the Erasmus Medical Center in 2012, upon discovery of SKY92 within the hematology department. Later, SKY92 was licensed exclusively to SkylineDx, which now solely has the global rights to the gene signature.

“SkylineDx is pleased to have received this notice of allowance from the Japanese Patent Office for our SKY92 gene signature, which is another step forward in our mission to provide clinicians with the tools needed to help personalize treatment plans.” said Dharminder S. Chahal, chief executive officer of SkylineDx. “With a number of our patents already granted worldwide, this patent in Japan is yet another key milestone in our commercial efforts to expand our global presence.”

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer that arises from plasma cells, a type of white blood cell made in the bone marrow. In patients with MM, the plasma cells become abnormal, multiply uncontrollably, and release only one type of antibody – known as M-protein – which has no useful function. It is often through the measurement of M-protein that MM is diagnosed and monitored. Most medical problems related to MM are caused by the build-up of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and the presence of the M-protein in the blood or urine. The most common symptoms of MM include bone pain, recurring infection, kidney damage, and fatigue. According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, an estimated 114,000 people around the world are diagnosed with MM annually, and the disease represents 0.8% of all cancers globally.

MMprofiler with SKY92 is the only gene-based signature proven superior to the biomarkers currently used to risk stratify newly diagnosed and relapsed multiple myeloma patients into a “high” or “standard” risk category. MMprofiler is CE-IVD registered and available in Europe and is coming soon as a laboratory developed test (LDT) in the United States.

SkylineDx is a commercial-stage biotech company based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Originally a spin-off of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the company specializes in the development and marketing of innovative gene signature based diagnostic tests to assist healthcare professionals in making personalized treatment decisions for individual patients.