Veridex teams up with US hospital to expand circulating tumour cell testing
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Veridex and the Massachusetts General Hospital are collaborating to further develop the former's circulating tumour cell (CTC) technology. The technology, which captures and counts cancer cells in the blood that have detached from solid tumours, is used to help diagnose cancer and assess patients' prognoses. J&J subsidiary Veridex already markets a CTC test, called CellSearch, which first received 510(k) clearance from the US FDA for monitoring metastatic breast cancer patients in 2004; it is also cleared to monitor metastatic colorectal and prostate cancers (www.clinica.co.uk, 7 December 2007 and 7 March 2008). The new partnership aims to develop a benchtop system for CTC testing, which could be used to guide therapy, as well as for drug discovery applications. As well as counting tumour cells, the next-generation test will also characterise them, Veridex told Clinica. For example, by looking at the cell's genetic information, it could help predict whether a patient will respond to a particular treatment. The company declined to disclose financial details of the deal, and also said it was too soon to say when the new product might be available.
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