WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 15 — Xceed Molecular, a pioneer in the development of cost-effective, easy-to-use gene-expression analysis systems, announced that Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, is the latest high-profile institution to implement Xceed’s Ziplex System as a critical tool to advance its translational research. Harriet Feilotter, Ph.D., FCCMG, of the University’s Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, is the principal investigator of a study that will use the Ziplex System to validate her team’s gene expression signature to predict the clinical outcomes in follicular lymphoma.

The most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, accounting for one in four of all cases, follicular lymphoma is a slow-growing cancer that arises from B-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, and mainly affects older adults — men and women in equal numbers. The mean age of diagnosis is between 50 and 60 years of age and because its symptoms are subtle in its earliest stages, the disease often can remain untreated for a long time before it becomes symptomatic. Although most patients have good outcomes and can live long and productive lives, in a substantial subset of patients, the disease can take a more aggressive course, resulting in shorter survival times.

“The work that Dr. Feilotter and her team at Queen’s University have been doing to develop novel diagnostic and prognostic tools in cancer shows great promise, and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Xceed President and CEO, David Deems. “Her follicular lymphoma research, which includes the use of both archival and fresh frozen tissues as sources of samples, has implications far beyond this particular research study. We look forward to a productive partnership.”

Said Dr. Feilotter, “Our previous research identified a number of genes whose expression levels in primary follicular lymphoma were correlated with a five-year outcome. The Ziplex System will facilitate and streamline the critical next phase of our research to validate the signature. Currently there are no molecular diagnostic tools on the market that can predict which primary tumors will be aggressive. Having an easy way to accurately categorize an individual patient’s risk will help clinicians determine the treatment plan that is most likely to result in a positive health outcome.”

The Ziplex System is rapidly becoming the standard platform for the nation’s leading institutions performing translational research. Xceed designed the Ziplex System with turnkey functionality and significant advances in automation, array format, fluidics, parallel sample processing, and analytics to minimize complexity, user interaction, and variability between users and sites.

About Xceed Molecular (https://www.XceedMolecular.com)

Xceed’s vision is to advance molecular diagnostics by successfully translating novel multiplex tests into routine clinical practice and to create robust diagnostic solutions to improve disease outcomes. Our products comprise the Ziplex System for automated gene-expression analysis (available in the US and Canada for research use only), gene expression services, and pre-configured arrays — Xpress Chips(TM). Xceed is also developing multiplexed genomic tests for the Ziplex platform, both internally and with strategic partners. Xceed’s R&D and manufacturing are headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with executive offices in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

About Queen’s University (https://www.queensu.ca)

Established by Royal Charter of Queen Victoria in 1841, Queen’s University was the earliest degree-granting institution in the united Province of Canada. Today, Queen’s is one of Canada’s leading universities, with an international reputation for scholarship, research, social purpose, spirit and diversity. The Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine of Queen’s University is affiliated with the University Hospitals Kingston. Its graduate program provides comprehensive training in basic and translational biomedical research and offers residency programs in anatomic, general, and hematopathology. Departmental research programs are focused on the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of disease and the design and implementation of new therapeutic strategies.