Merck and Biocartis to develop RAS biomarker testing solution

Merck is collaborating with Biocartis on the development and commercialisation of a new liquid biopsy RAS biomarker test for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Under the terms of the new collaboration agreement, the companies will leverage Biocartis' innovative, fully-automated molecular diagnostics system Idylla to support the creation of the test.

Idylla is designed to offer accurate and reliable molecular information from virtually any biological sample across a diverse range of settings.

With the new test, it will be possible to support clinical practice in performing integrated liquid biopsy RAS biomarker tests independently of the laboratories' volume of testing or level of expertise, thereby aiding decision-making in the treatment of cancer.

Rehan Verjee, chief marketing and strategy officer of Merck's biopharma business, said: "Through this collaboration, our desire is to have more metastatic colorectal cancer patients gain access to liquid biopsy RAS testing, regardless of their geographical location."

This comes after the firm recently allied with Pfizer and Syndax to evaluate a new combination of avelumab and entinostat in ovarian cancer.