NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – MDx Health said today it has signed an agreement with The Netherlands' University Erasmus Medical Center (Erasmus MC) giving it exclusive worldwide rights to the use of a set of bladder cancer methylation biomarkers for clinical assay development in either the LDT or IVD setting.
The company also announced that it plans to present new top-line data on the liquid biopsy bladder cancer test it is developing with these markers at the World Congress on Urological Research meeting in September.
According to MDx Health, the results demonstrate a negative predictive value for the urine-based liquid biopsy test of 98.3 percent in a cohort of 154 patients with hematuria, or blood in the urine.
The test, designed to rule out bladder cancer in patients with bloody urine, is based on a combination of biomarkers developed at both MDxHealth and Erasmus MC.
Under the agreement, Erasmus MC will receive upfront and milestone payments, and also royalties on net sales on any commercialized products developed by MDx Health using the markers.
Erasmus MC and MDxHealth have also agreed to collaborate on the ongoing clinical development of the company's current test, and on potential future bladder cancer tests.
"We are delighted to be working alongside Erasmus MC and look forward to initiating a larger evaluation study in bladder cancer patients in due course," MDxHealth CEO Jan Groen said in a statement.