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PrecisionMed Launches Bipolar - Disorder Biobank Collection ... (Adding Parkinson's ... murray ) Wednesday, January 07, 2004 - 10:52 AM PST PrecisionMed Inc., a privately held human biobank based in the San Diego area, today announced the launch of its new PrecisionMed Sample Bank collection of DNA, RNA, plasma, serum and urine from 200 subjects with Bipolar I Disorder and 200 matched controls. This collection will be made up of samples from individuals who have been diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder (DSM IV: 296.4-296.46, 296.5-296.56, 296.6-296.66, 296.7) and matched controls with no neuropsychiatric disease and no family history of neuropsychiatric disease. In addition to samples, a database of pertinent clinical information will be collected on each bi-polar I and control subject. In order to qualify for this collection, bi-polar subjects must have been diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder (DSM IV: 296.4-296.46, 296.5-296.56, 296.6-296.66, 296.7) after a thorough clinical interview by an experienced psychiatrist. This diagnosis must be confirmed with the M.I.N.I. exam (Sheehan & Lecrubier). In addition, all subjects must have experienced at least two lifetime manic or mixed episodes. Control subjects must meet criteria for no neuropsychiatric disease, based upon the M.I.N.I. exam. PrecisionMed's sample bank is a repository of human blood, DNA, RNA, serum, plasma and other body fluid products linked to de-identified, audited, clinical data. Samples are available for sale to the pharmaceutical industry to enhance drug discovery and development, therapeutic target validation and molecular diagnostic product development. PrecisionMed provides customers access to samples with associated clinical information from a population of disease-specific subjects and healthy matched controls. PrecisionMed is rapidly expanding its collections to include additional neuropsychiatric and other diseases. PrecisionMed offers custom sample collections in any disease area, including non- psychiatric diseases. PrecisionMed's samples are provided to our customers free of commercial incumbency and all samples are appropriately consented to permit all the types of potential uses noted above as well as others. "We are pleased to add Bipolar I Disorder to our growing inventory of collections in the neuropsychiatric disease area," said John Flax MD., president and CEO of PrecisionMed. "Our current inventory includes banked collections in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, major depression, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and we are adding controlled collections in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), bipolar I disorder, Parkinson's disease, type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease (with CSF), liver disease and familial Alzheimer's disease. PrecisionMed is skilled in performing custom collections and we have significant experience in accessing 'difficult to reach' populations. All these factors make PrecisionMed an attractive potential partner for research companies." Subjects are enrolled into PrecisionMed collections based on strict inclusion criteria and clinical data is carefully audited before entry into the PrecisionMed database. "The scientific value of genetic samples is a direct function of the validity and depth of the clinical phenotypic information," said Dr. Herbert Meltzer, medical director of PrecisionMed. "Genotyping and other laboratory aspects of this important strategy for pharmaceutical development are often commoditized. However, in all cases, but neuropsychiatric illness in particular, accurate diagnostic classification and collection of relevant additional demographic and clinical response data are especially important because of the absence of laboratory means of establishing diagnosis. PrecisionMed understands this and has made every effort to obtain reliable information and exclude subjects when significant uncertainty exists. PrecisionMed is as precise as possible." SOURCE: The T Sector Life Sciences http://www.thetsector.com/displayarticle6661.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn