NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Australian molecular diagnostics firm Genetic Technologies today announced that it has exclusively licensed technology for a colorectal cancer (CRC) risk assessment test from the University of Melbourne.
Under the terms of the deal, Genetic Technologies will be responsible for the commercial development of the test. It will also collaborate with the university on SNP-based risk assessment and risk model development.
Additional terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.
According to Genetic Technologies, the licensed technology is similar to the technology underlying its BrevaGenplus test, which analyzes the expression of breast cancer-associated SNPs to assess a patient's risk of developing the disease. In a study published earlier this year by University of Melbourne researcher Mark Jenkins, who developed the licensed technology, a panel of 45 known susceptibility SNPs could be used to stratify a population of 1 million patients into clinically useful CRC risk categories, the company said.
"The relationship with the university is comprehensive and highlights our overall corporate mission to become a leader in the genomics-focused oncology diagnostics industry while enhancing our pipeline of risk-assessment products," Genetic Technologies CEO Eutillio Buccilli said in a statement.