Quintiles invests in new biomarker research and development business

Quintiles has announced the launch of a new business that is dedicated to aiding research into new cancer biomarkers.

Oxford Cancer Biomarkers has been spun out from the University of Oxford using investment from Quintiles, with Professors David Kerr and Nick La Thangue occupying key roles in the new company's leadership.

It will provide oncology consulting services and will aid the development of new cancer biomarkers through the use of CancerNav, a proprietary DNA and protein-based assay technology platform invented by Professor La Thangue.

The new firm will have a strategic relationship with Quintiles Consulting and Quintiles Global Laboratories, which will help to bring the new firm's research innovations to biopharmaceutical clients globally.

Ben Cons, vice-president for corporate development at Quintiles, said: "Biomarkers hold great promise to improve trial success rates by identifying patient subgroups most likely to respond to treatment, increasing the probability of trial success and improving patient safety."

This comes after Quintiles launched a new digital patient unit earlier this month, which will aim to help more patients to participate in clinical trials.