deCODE genetics Announces Second Quarter 2008 Financi...(r toaccount for virtually all cases of e...)

Date:8/6/2008

r to account for virtually all cases of exfoliation glaucoma. The SNPs are located in the LOXL1 gene on chromosome 15, and confer respectively 26-fold and 8-fold increases in risk of exfoliation glaucoma compared to the low-risk versions of the same markers. Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide. Exfoliation glaucoma is caused by the buildup of fibrous deposits on the surfaces on the front of the eye. Between 10-20% of people over the age of 60 are believed to have some degree of exfoliation syndrome, and more than half of these individuals may go on to develop exfoliation glaucoma. The progression of glaucoma can be slowed using various medications that promote the drainage of fluids from the eye and reduce pressure on the optic nerve.

-- Diagnostics: Breast cancer. In the second quarter deCODE discovered a fourth set of common single-letter variants (SNPs) associated with risk of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Although these variants confer modest risk, they are so common that they are estimated to account for approximately 11% of breast cancers overall. With this latest discovery, the genetic factors underpinning a very significant proportion of inherited risk of ER+ breast cancer have now been elucidated. Common variants previously discovered by deCODE on chromosomes 2q35 and 16q12 are together involved in an estimated 25% of ER+ breast cancers. deCODE's analysis of known variants located on chromosome 10q26 and accounting for approximately 16% of breast cancers has further demonstrated that these appear to confer risk exclusively of ER+ tumors. deCODE is applying these variants as the basis for a DNA-based reference laboratory risk-assessment test the company plans to launch this fall. Such a test will allow for the identification of women who may benefit from regular screening with standard as well as new, high-resolution technologies. The American Cancer Society now recommends that women who are at a 20-50% a
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