|
Axial Biotech, Inc. was a privately held molecular diagnostics company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 2002 by a group of internationally recognized spine surgeons and geneticists, and was closed in March 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Axial Biotech )〕 The company's mission was to deliver diagnostics that improve and personalize the treatment of spine disorders. Axial Biotech conducted genetic research on scoliosis and degenerative disc disease. In September 2009, Axial Biotech announced the commercial launch of the ScoliScore AIS Prognostic Test. ScoliScore is the first DNA-based diagnostic test for scoliosis. In 2012 Transgenomic acquired the rights to the ScoliScore test. ==AIS genetic testing== AIS genetic testing is the process of analyzing the DNA of a patient who has been diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis to determine his or her likelihood of progression to a severe spinal curve. AIS is the most common pediatric spinal deformity and is defined as a lateral curvature of the spine of greater than 10 degrees with a rotational component and with no other etiologic explanation for spinal deformity, presenting in a child nine years of age or older. There can be many causes for spinal deformity, including congenital, neuromuscular, traumatic, and others. Idiopathic Scoliosis is that for which all other etiologic explanations have been ruled out. Medical intervention for scoliosis depends on the degree of curve severity. Only approximately 4% of AIS patients will progress to the point where surgery is done. The majority of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis are observed at regular intervals (usually between 4–6 months) with a physical exam and x-ray to evaluate the magnitude of the curve.〔Kuivala, Thomas, M.D. "What You Need to Know About Scoliosis." 1/17/08 Spine Universe. 2009 ()〕 Genetic testing allows physicians to identify individual patients' risk of curve progression with a surrogate outcome, meaning risk of progression can be known without patients being subjected to frequent office visits and exposure to radiation from multiple radiographs. Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is a polygenic trait, meaning it is affected by the characteristics of more than a single gene. The heritability of scoliosis has long been suspected, and many research projects have been conducted in search of the genes responsible for the disease.〔Ward K, Ogilvie J, Argyle V, Nelson L, Meade M, and Braun J. "Polygenic Inheritance of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Study of Extended Families in Utah" 2008〕 Axial Biotech performed a genome-wide association study, testing millions of genetic markers to find any associated with scoliosis. The study of DNA heritability was enhanced through the use of rich genealogical data available in Utah. Utah contains the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which emphasizes the knowledge of ancestry and genealogy.〔Ward, K. "Demystifying the Genetic Test for Scoliosis" Roundtables in Spine Surgery, Volume 2, Number 3, 2008〕 Over the course of the research, DNA samples from over 9500 patients from 100 clinical sites worldwide were analyzed.〔"Axial Biotech Announces Commercial Availability of SCOLISCORE AIS Prognostic Test" Press Release. Sept 24, 2009 ()〕 Researchers at Axial Biotech identified 53 genetic markers (28 which, when positive, contribute to the progression of the scoliosis curve and 25 which, when positive, protect against the progression of the curve.) The ScoliScore test was developed around these 53 markers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Axial Biotech」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|