NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Horizon Discovery Group announced this week a $1.2 million master services agreement with an unnamed "major global diagnostic development company and a US biopharmaceutical company" to support the development of companion diagnostics for genetically targeted oncology therapies. In the first project covered by the agreement, Horizon will generate genetically defined cell lines and related gDNA and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded standards. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Axio Research has launched its statistical genetics and genomics services to support the analysis and interpretation of genomic data by the biopharmaceutical industry, particularly in the areas of drug discovery and development, drug repositioning, and companion diagnostics development. Also, David Henderson has joined Axio as director of statistical genetics to lead the Statistical Genetics and Genomics division.
NeoGenomics is participating in the Medivo Lab Value Exchange, an aggregation of standardized and anonymized lab test results containing data from 200,000 practice locations and 30 million patients. The exchange provides actionable insights into lab testing trends for use by researchers, life science firms, and clinical laboratories. NeoGenomics' oncology menu will be incorporated into the Medivo Lab Value Exchange database.
Hurel said that Johnston Associates has become a participating investor in the company's Series A-3 preferred stock financing. The lead investor in the round was Spring Mountain Capital. Hurel did not disclose the amount of the financing.
Microsaic Systems has signed its first original equipment manufacturing agreement to develop a chip-based mass spectrometer based on its triple quadrupole technology. The UK firm did not name the partner, saying only that it is a "leading global scientific company." The agreement covers the use of the technology in the applied markets.
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology spinout MetaSysX has inked a three-year service agreement to provide its metabolomics technologies to Bayer CropScience to improve agricultural productivity. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
In Brief This Week is a Friday column containing news items that our readers may have missed during the week.