Progenika公司推出诊断炎症性肠病的生物芯片

一种新型DNA基因芯片已经研制成功，这种芯片被设计用来提高炎症性肠病(inflammatory bowel disease,IBD)包括克罗恩病(Crohn’s disease)和溃疡性结肠炎(ulcerous colitis)的诊断、判断预后以及治疗。

这种生物芯片叫做EBDChip，能够分析与IBD相关的46种突变，计划不久就开始临床试验。IBDChip分析多种基因多态性以帮助确定IBD的危险、判断疾病预后、以及患者对治疗出现的反应。这种芯片不仅可以帮助医生选择最合适的治疗方法，还能够帮助确定受测试家庭成员患上这种疾病的疾病易感性程度。

IBD的基因来源业已确定，在儿童和成人都可以发病。患者家庭成员也有10％-20％的可能患病。IBDChip涵盖了文献中报道的与该病相关的基因多态性。当新的基因突变被鉴定出来，可以很容易的将其整合至芯片之中。

IBDChip是由Progenika公司(Bilbao, Spain)研制开发的，这是一家生物科技公司。该公司已经研制开发了Lipochip，用于诊断家族性高胆固醇血症。Lipochip是第一个获得CE标志的用于诊断目的的生物基因芯片。

Biochip to Diagnose Bowel Disease
 
A new DNA chip has been developed that is designed to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Crohn’s disease and ulcerous colitis, known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The biochip, called IBDChip, can analyze 46 mutations related to IBD and is scheduled to begin clinical trials soon. The IBDChip analyzes diverse polymorophisms that help to establish the risk of IBD, its prognosis, and the response of the patient to treatment. The chip not only helps doctors select the most suitable therapy but also helps determine in tested family members the degree of predisposition they have for developing the disease.

IBD, whose genetic origin has been proven, occurs in both children and adults. Between 10-20% of a patient’s family members also have the disease. The IBDChip includes the polymorphisms associated in the literature with the disease. As new mutations are identified, these can be easily incorporated into the chip.

The IBDChip was developed by Progenika (Bilbao, Spain), a biotechnology company. The company has also developed the Lipochip, which diagnoses family hypercholesterolemia. The Lipochip was the first biochip to obtain the CE Mark for diagnostic use.