NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Scientists in the Czech Republic and Slovakia will use a breast cancer test from OncoVista Innovative Therapies subsidiary AdnaGen in a cancer research effort focused on using the predictive assay in clinics, the San Antonio-based firm said today.
Under the agreement, Tataa Molecular Diagnostics will partner with the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Science on the COHERTA study, which is funded in part through a grant from Hoffman-La Roche's Czech and Slovak subsidiaries.
The three-year COHERTA study will use the Adnatest BreastCancer assay to evaluate the relationship between HER2 status of metastatic tumors and of circulating tumor cells.
HER2 status is a marker for disease prognosis and therapy, and it may change as disease progresses. Today, the only way to evaluate the HER2 status of a tumor is through a tissue biopsy of the tumor, said OncoVista.
OncoVista President and CEO Alexander Weis said in a statement that assays like Adnatest could "lead to better evaluation sooner and more cost-effective treatments with less unnecessary suffering and toxic side-effects."
Financial terms of the agreement were not released.