BioMrieux and ExonHit Extend Alliance to Develop Microarrays for Early Cancer Detection

NEW YORK, Oct. 13 (GenomeWeb News) - BioMérieux and ExonHit have extended their collaboration for six years to develop microarray-based diagnostics for early cancer detection, the firms said today.
 
The alliance began in 2003 with the aim of developing diagnostics for breast cancer. It has now been enlarged to other types of cancers, including colon, prostate, and lung.

The objective of the collaboration is to develop microarrays that can detect genomic cancer markers in blood or tumor samples. The chips would be based on ExonHit's gene-expression patents and bioMérieux's diagnostics experience.

Terms of the agreement call for ExonHit to grants bioMérieux an exclusive license to use its technology and methods in the field of blood diagnostics, gene profiling, and microarray design.

In exchange, bioMérieux will fund ExonHit's R&D costs for each cancer studied. There will be a minimum of five research programs. ExonHit will also receive milestone payments for each key milestone that is reached as well as royalties on future product sales, the partners said today.

Financial details were not disclosed.