ChondroGene Enters into Agreement with Kaiser Permanente

ChondroGene Limited has announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Division of Research of the Permanente Medical Group of Northern California, to jointly develop a research database infrastructure that will be used for genomic research.

When developed, the genomic database will serve as a repository of clinical information generated by Kaiser Permanente researchers for evaluating assays that use ChondroGene's proprietary Sentinel Principle.

The principal objectives of the database when implemented are to standardize and achieve consistency in the format of data for future studies. This common format will also facilitate the testing of biospecimens at ChondroGene, as agreed upon by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and ChondroGene.

The proposed project will draw from Kaiser Permanente researchers' experience in conducting clinical research and managing clinical information, to produce a database that will allow Kaiser Permanente researchers to capture, store, retrieve and analyze a broad range of clinical information.

ChondroGene's Sentinel Principle is an approach to the diagnosis and staging of disease. If these studies demonstrate that ChondroGene assays are accurate than traditional assays for certain diseases, they may have a significant impact on the diagnosis and management of those diseases.

“Kaiser is widely recognized as a leader in the delivery of timely, quality health care,” stated K. Wayne Marshall, MD, PhD, President and CEO of ChondroGene.

“The development of this database will help expedite collaborations between Kaiser and ChondroGene researchers and will assist in collecting, storing, and analyzing data generated by the application of the Sentinel Principle to a variety of diseases.”

“We see this as the beginning of a long term mutually beneficial research relationship, in which Kaiser Permanente researchers will be able to employ ChondroGene assays for selected research studies.”