Roche and Qiagen ally on PCR assay development

Roche has entered into an agreement with fellow science company Qiagen over technology relating to the creation of new PCR diagnostic assays.

The firm has secured a co-exclusive global licence to the biomarker and oncogene PI3K, which is patented by Johns Hopkins University and has also been licensed to Qiagen Manchester.

Mutations of this pathway are a common condition affecting many colorectal, gastric and breast cancer patients, meaning that it has been identified as a biomarker which can predict response to a variety of different cancer drugs.

The new assay which Roche will develop is to be compatible with its cobas 4800 system and will be made available to the company’s pharmaceutical partners for use in clinical trials.

Paul Brown, president and chief executive officer at Roche Molecular Diagnostics, said: “Diagnostic assays that detect mutations in PI3K will be an essential component of cancer drug development and personalised healthcare.”

This comes after Roche published data earlier this week which illustrated the potential benefits that cobas 4800-enabled HPV testing can bring in detecting signs of cervical cancer.