NEW YORK – Qiagen announced Wednesday that it has entered a collaboration with Eli Lilly to develop an in vitro diagnostic assay to detect genotypes indicative of Alzheimer's disease risk.
Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
The multiplex PCR panel will be developed for the QiaStat-Dx testing system and will be the first such commercially available IVD, Qiagen said in a statement.
The anticipated QiaStat-Dx panel will detect the APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4 genotypes that can play a role in the diagnosis of patients with Alzheimer's disease, the firm said. The APOE4 genotype confers a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's earlier in life, with two copies of this genotype further increasing risk.
"By providing precise APOE genotyping, we aim to better inform treatment considerations for Alzheimer's patients, providing valuable insight in their diagnostic journey," said Jonathan Arnold, VP and head of translational science and precision diagnostics at Qiagen.
Anthony Sireci, head of diagnostics development and commercialization for Eli Lilly said, "When offering a diagnostic test for clinical use, it is imperative that it be high-quality, accurate, and accessible to patients." Lilly is working with Qiagen to generate data for this APOE test "because of their expertise in developing diagnostic assays and their global reach," he added.
The assay is the first publicly disclosed neurodegenerative disease clinical collaboration for the QiaStat-Dx system, Qiagen said, and adds to similar collaborations with Neuron23 and Helix.