Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

PrimeraDx, Quest Co-developing MDx to Support Drug Development

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – PrimeraDx today announced a deal with Quest Diagnostics to co-develop molecular diagnostic products and services.

The focus of the non-exclusive deal is to support drug developers in the clinical development of targeted therapeutics.

Under the terms of the agreement, Quest can use PrimeraDx's ICEPlex Platform to independently develop and use laboratory tests in early-phase biomarker and drug development studies and clinical trials with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device clients of Quest business Quest Diagnostics Clinical Trials.

In return, Mansfield, Mass.-based PrimeraDx can develop and market in vitro diagnostic products if and when the targeted therapeutics receive US Food and Drug Administration approval. Quest Diagnostics has rights to validate and offer clinical diagnostic information services, based partly on the assays developed during drug development. The services are aimed at helping to make treatment decisions for drugs that have been FDA-approved for clinical use and commercialized.

PrimeraDx and Quest anticipate initially focusing their efforts on cancer but may extend their work into infectious diseases, genetics, and other conditions.

Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Launched in the summer of 2011, the ICEPlex Platform can simultaneously detect and quantify "disparate" target types, including mRNA, miRNA, SNPs, DNA mutations, fusions, and DNA methylation, PrimeraDx said.

"This collaboration with Quest Diagnostics will enable pharmaceutical and other companies to access the unique capabilities of the PrimeraDx technology in the form of targeted diagnostic services and products," PrimeraDx President and CEO Matt McManus said in a statement. "Quest Diagnostics' remarkable strength in clinical diagnostics makes them a superb partner to maximize the value of the ICEPlex system for biomarker, drug, and diagnostic development."

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.