Iris Overview

Iris Biotechnologies is dedicated to the development of Nano-Biochip gene expression kits to assist in establishing a solid and reliable foundation for personalized medicine. Our patented products were developed to overcome the sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost limitations of present state-of-the-art microarray technology. The Iris products are designed to be FDA approved, enabling them to be used in any certified laboratory in the world.

We have developed our first biochip to identify gene expression patterns in the multiple varieties of breast cancer. It has become apparent to us that there is an acute need for a robust staging classification system, as well as more effective predictive and prognostic tools to assist in medical treatment decisions. Our Nano-Biochip and BioWindows™ informatics program are designed to enable a treating physician to quickly prescribe a personalized treatment regimen that will have the greatest probability of success for each individual patient’s particular form of breast cancer. We will be offering our BreastCancerChip™ in 2008.

Iris Highlights

How are genes chosen for the Iris Nano-Biochip?

The Human Genome project has determined that there are approximately 25,000 genes in the human genome. These units of heredity control all aspects of metabolism, growth and development in human cells. Two major functions that genes control are the cell’s ability to divide or not divide. Genes which control normal cell division can be altered by mutation and this can result in abnormal or uncontrolled cell division. These cell division controlling genes, called oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes, play a key role in cancer. In their altered or mutated state, they can no longer function normally, and uncontrolled cell growth results, leading to tumor formation.

Other processes, including vascularization (nourishing the tumor with a blood supply) and metastasis (the spread of cancer cells to other locations in the body) are controlled by other genes. By monitoring the expression levels of all the genes involved in cancer initiation and progression we can provide a precise diagnosis of the type of cancer and give an accurate prognosis of outcome to the patient. The monitoring of gene expression levels will also provide the basis for choosing the most appropriate therapy for each individual patient.

Iris selects the genes to be monitored on its chips by reviewing the massive number of relevant cancer publications, consulting with cancer researchers at leading cancer centers throughout the world, and through our own research efforts. The Iris chip platform is very flexible so that new relevant genes can be added to provide the most up to date diagnosis, prognosis as well as the necessary information to help guide drug therapy.