NEW YORK — Mainz Biomed said Thursday that it has struck a deal to develop a blood-based test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer with Liquid Biosciences.
Under the terms of a license and option agreement, Mainz Biomed has the exclusive rights to develop the test using a portfolio of messenger RNA biomarkers owned by Liquid Biosciences. Mainz Biomed also has an option to acquire exclusive global rights to the biomarkers themselves.
The biomarkers, when used in conjunction with a proprietary algorithm, have been shown by Liquid Biosciences to have an overall sensitivity of 95 percent and a 98 percent specificity for the detection of pancreatic cancer, Mainz Biomed said.
The companies intend to work together on the test's development, including the refinement of commercial assays and algorithms, as well as preparation of an application to the US Food and Drug Administration.
The arrangement includes an unspecified license fee paid to Aliso Viejo, California-based Liquid Biosciences, as well as an undisclosed royalty on future test revenues in the event the option is exercised. Additional terms were not disclosed.
"Securing the exclusive rights to license this portfolio of novel biomarkers is a major milestone and extension of our previously announced PancAlert program," Mainz Biomed CEO Guido Baechler said in a statement. "It provides us with an extraordinary opportunity in the early detection and diagnosis of one of the most challenging cancers to treat."
PancAlert is a pancreatic cancer screening test under development by Mainz Biomed that uses multiplex real-time PCR to detect genetic biomarkers in stool samples. The German company began working with Liquid Biosciences on that test in September. The companies have also been collaborating on a colorectal cancer test since late 2023.