NEW YORK – Roche subsidiary Foundation Medicine announced Tuesday that it will collaborate with Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA) to develop a companion diagnostic to identify acute leukemia patients who may be eligible for treatment with SMPA's investigational menin inhibitor enzomenib (DSP-5336).
The companies will use the FoundationOne Heme platform to identify patients with acute leukemia who have a KMT2A rearrangement or NPM1 mutations who may benefit from treatment with enzomenib. Menin is a protein that interacts with the KMT2A gene and plays a key role in regulating gene expression and protein interactions involved in hematopoiesis, Foundation said in a statement. Menin inhibitors are designed to disrupt the interaction and inhibit the proliferation of leukemic cells.
FoundationOne Heme uses RNA and DNA sequencing to simultaneously detect all classes of genomic alterations, including base pair substitutions, insertions and deletions, copy number alterations and rearrangements, and gene fusions. It is currently offered as a laboratory-developed test.
"Thanks to advancements in comprehensive genomic profiling, we have seen an increased focus on developing new targeted therapies for patients with hematological malignancies, which may help bring the promise of precision medicine to more patients," Foundation Medicine Chief Biopharma Officer Troy Schurr said in a statement. "We're excited to work with Sumitomo to advance our FoundationOne Heme platform as a companion diagnostic as they advance investigation of this promising potential treatment option for acute leukemia patients with a KMT2A rearrangement and NPM1 mutations."
SMPA is the US operation of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Pharma.