NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Becton Dickinson and UCL Business, a subsidiary of University College London, announced this week an agreement that could lead to biomarker assays for ovarian and breast cancers.
The deal gives BD access to UCL's biobanks containing more than 200,000 human patient samples collected in prospective screening clinical trials for the detection and management of epithelial ovarian cancer. BD will use the samples to develop and validate biomarker assays.
A BD spokesman said that the company has not decided yet whether the assays will be developed as molecular tests or immunoassays. He said that decision will depend on "the particular test's indication, the sample type, and the information needed to best advise and manage target patient populations."
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"The ability to access UCL's samples and work with its leading researchers represents a major step toward BD's goal of developing and commercializing tests that significantly improve the detection and management of" ovarian and breast cancers, said Wayne Brinster, VP and GM of women's health and cancer for BD Diagnostics, in a statement.