Agilent highlights progress of Blueprint PD-L1 Assay Comparison Project

Agilent Technologies has welcomed the progress made on the Blueprint PD-L1 Assay Comparison Project, an industry/academic partnership in which it is involved.

The scheme was set up to compare the analytical performance of four different investigational in vitro diagnostic tests for the immune biomarker PD-L1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), to see how they can help identify the treatment options for cancer patients.

Phase I of the project, a feasibility study, has now been completed, with data from this trial designed to inform the design of a subsequent phase II study in a larger cohort of patients. This will help to establish the analytical correlation between different PD-L1 testing approaches.

Results of the phase I study indicated that each PD-L1 test is uniquely calibrated to its partner therapeutic, with three tests – PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx, PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx and SP-263 – reported to be analytically generally similar.

It was also demonstrated that the different assays are not identical and should not be considered interchangeable.

Henrik Winther, vice-president and general manager for the companion diagnostics division at Agilent, said: "This is a first step in the harmonisation of PD-L1 expression testing and reinforces our position to develop standardised and validated companion diagnostic tests to help provide physicians and patients trusted answers to inform the patient's diagnosis and treatment."