NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – AstraZeneca and Dako Denmark announced today that they will collaborate on developing companion diagnostics for multiple AstraZeneca oncology drug programs.
The firms said that the AstraZeneca drug candidates will be biologics and small molecule drugs that are in various stages of development. They did not name specific cancer targets, nor did they provide any financial details of the agreement.
Dake develops and sells tissue-based diagnostics with a focus on cancer. It will work with AstraZeneca to develop tests that physicians can use to determine the most appropriate cancer treatment for patients, the firms said.
"Targeted treatment with personalized medicine is the future, and the outcome of this collaboration will be beneficial not only for cancer patients, but is also a significant contributive factor in cutting health care costs," Dako Denmark CEO Lars Holmkvist said in a statement.
According to Ruth March, personalized healthcare leader at AstraZeneca, the partnership with Dako is the first in what is expected to be a series of strategic alliances with diagnostic companies to expand the firm's personalized medicine efforts.