ITOS: It’s The OncogeneS

Linking cancer to targeted treatment at the personal level

ITOS Oncology is a molecular diagnostic company specialized in cancer. Cancer develops from the accumulation of mutations in key genes, known as oncogenes. There are different types of oncogene mutations. These include point mutations, insertions / deletions, gene translocations and gene amplification. A typical human cancer contains 5 to 10 different oncogenes and every human cancer can be defined by its oncogene signature. Modern cancer drugs target activated oncogenes and the treatment works best when the right oncogene is targeted by the right drug in the right patient.

The overall goal of ITOS Oncology is to make use of our experience in current high throughput genomics technologies to detect oncogene mutations as well as gene amplifications in the cancer cell genome and use sophisticated bioinformatics methods to identify the oncogene signatures that define the nature of cancer in individual patients. This will allow physicians to tailor the cancer treatment based on the available treatment options, or to direct patients to specific cancer centers conducting trials for specific genomic perturbations. We will use cutting edge technologies including next-generation sequencing methods and use sophisticated bioinformatics tools to achieve our goal.

Today, biotech companies, pharmaceutical companies, academic laboratories, and cancer centers need rapid cost-effective analysis of oncogene signatures in cancer tissues. Tomorrow, all patients’ cancers will be diagnosed by full analysis of their DNA.

ITOS Oncology strives to be a leader in the development of rapid and cost-effective molecular diagnostic services to biotech companies, academic laboratories and most importantly to the cancer patients around the globe starting right here in the premises of the University of Windsor. ITOS Oncology will start functioning from EPICentre’s Biotech Courtyard, an incubator dedicated to health and life sciences.

 

ITOS management team consists of people with right scientific vision, technological expertise and clinical acumen to be a highly competitive and successful industry. ITOS Oncology team includes:

•  Govindaraja Atikukke, Ph.D. – Cofounder and CTO (pictured above): With over 12 years of experience in molecular diagnostics and direct experience with cancer gene profiling technologies for oncogene detection.
• Stephen P. Ethier, Ph.D. – Cofounder and CSO : With over 30 years of experience in cancer research with over 115 research publications in molecular oncology.
• Dr. Sabeena Misra M.D – Cofounder and chief spokesperson : With over 14 years of experience in the field of medicine with over 8 years of experience in working with various forms of gastrointestinal cancers.
• Dr. Lisa Porter – Collaborator and Scientific director : Scientific Director WCRG; Chair, Biological Sciences Graduate Committee; Associate Professor, University of Windsor;
• Dr. Caroline Hamm, MD, FRCP(C) WCRG (Collaborator and clinical advisor); Clinical Director, and Physician Lead Clinical trials group, Windsor regional cancer program and
• Deborah Livneh – Business development manager: Entrepreneur-in-Residence – WEtech Alliance.

ITOS Oncology in a nutshell