Xenomics gets European patent on transrenal DNA

Xenomics, a USA-based molecular diagnostic company, has been awarded its first European patent. Entitled Methods for detection of nucleic acid sequences in urine, patent number EP 1634966 A2 covers use of its proprietary transrenal nucleic acid technology in the area of prenatal diagnostics and genetic testing.

TNAs are fragments of DNA and RNA from cells dying throughout the body that cross the kidney barrier from blood to urine and can be used for genetic analysis. Early gender detection will be the first application of transrenal DNA technology for prenatal diagnostics. Using a new proprietary method for isolation of these fragments, Xenomics' scientists successfully detected sequences of a single copy Y chromosome-specific SRY gene in urine of women pregnant with male fetuses from the sixth week of pregnancy. The test is developed for pregnancies with a risk of gender-linked diseases such as hemophilia, Fragile X syndrome and others.

Xenomics noted that the gender detection test can have much broader applications. Successful early detection of a single copy gene that originates from the fetus in the urine of pregnant women indicates that other prenatal tests, e.g. detection of Rhesus incompatibility, which can cause severe anemia in a newborn baby, and many others can be developed using the same approach.