Moving Further into Diagnostics, Life Tech Acquires Pinpoint Genomics

Life Technologies has acquired Pinpoint Genomics and its test for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer, Life Tech announced yesterday, continuing the company's push into the diagnostic arena. Pinpoint's qPCR-based assay can help clinicians determine which patients with early-stage disease are at high risk for progression to late-stage disease. "We see an opportunity in lung cancer to change the treatment paradigm with more effective diagnostics," says Greg Lucier, chairman and CEO of Life Technologies, in a statement. "As Life Technologies moves further into the diagnostics space, we will focus on tests that have strong clinical utility where there is a large unmet need."

Separately, as The Sample's sister publication GenomeWeb Daily News reports, Life Tech has entered into a partnership with diagnostics firm Quidel to develop and commercialize real-time PCR assays for an as-yet-unlaunched molecular instrument system.

Life Tech also recently acquired genetic testing firm Navigenics as part of its strategy to build its molecular diagnostics business.