Collaboration Develops Companion Diagnostic Test for Cancer Therapy

Abbott (Abbot Park, IL, USA) announced that it would collaborate with Merck (Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA) to evaluate the use of a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based companion diagnostic test.

The FISH-based companion diagnostic tests are designed to identify specific DNA sequences to help guide physicians in determining which patients are more or less likely to benefit from a particular therapy and will aid in the development of a Merck investigational cancer therapy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Abbott will develop a test based on its proprietary FISH technology, intended to identify deletions of the tumor protein 53 (TP53) gene in cancer patients. The Abbott FISH assay will be evaluated in clinical trials to help identify patients more likely to respond favorably to Merck’s investigational cancer therapy. FISH technology has a variety of uses. It can identify whether too many, or too few, copies of a particular gene are present in the body's cells or whether certain genes have rearrangements that play an active role in disease progression. Cancer diagnostics is one of the fastest growing applications.

D. Stafford O’Kelly, MBA, head of Abbott’s molecular diagnostics business, said, "Our goal through this collaboration, and others like it, is to ensure that the right medicine gets to the right patient. As one of the early pioneers in companion diagnostics, we believe that linking genetic testing with drug development at the earliest stages can increase the effectiveness and predictability of medicines and help physicians make more informed treatment decisions."

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