Dako and Amgen expand companion diagnostics collaboration

Dako has announced a new master collaboration agreement with Amgen that will broaden the companies' partnership in the field of companion diagnostics.

The revised alliance will allow both firms to benefit from knowledge-sharing within the field of drug diagnostics research and development in general, with a specific focus on companion diagnostics.

It will accelerate the organisations' work in the field of personalised medicine, which allows drugs to be specifically targeted at patients who are most likely to respond to therapy.

This is the latest in a series of collaborations that Agilent-owned Dako has formed with major pharmaceutical industry partners in the last few months. It also has arrangements in place with Merck Sharp and Dohme, Ono Pharmaceutical and Cell Signalling Technology.

Jacob Thaysen, president of Agilent's diagnostics and genomics group, said: "Together we will continue our work in the development of high-quality companion diagnostic products to enable physicians and pathologists to identify cancer patients who are more likely to respond to a specific therapy."