NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Enzo Clinical Labs and Nuclea Biotechnologies have entered into an agreement to market Nuclea's non-invasive HER-2/neu serum test for monitoring metastatic breast cancer, Enzo Biochem announced today.
The blood-based test allows physicians to monitor women with metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses the HER-2/neu protein in the tumor, and then adapt their therapeutic decisions based on the results. Enzo Biochem, the parent firm of Enzo Clinical Labs, said that women with the condition tend to have a worse prognosis and a more aggressive disease that may be resistant to certain chemotherapies.
Nuclea's test measures the portion of the HER-2/neu protein that is located outside the surface of the cell and is being released into the blood stream. Physicians using the test can make more informed treatment decisions for patients who are not responding to therapy or may be at risk for metastatic cancer and require changes to their treatments.
"Offering the serum HER2/neu testing ties in with our expanding program of developing and making available high value esoteric testing, especially in the area of women’s health, and providing our physician clients with yet another tool with which to customize a woman's assessment and treatment," Enzo Clinical Labs Medical Director Cynthia Bowman said in a statement. "Moreover, the use of this assay in treatment monitoring may open up our services to the pharmaceutical market."
Financial and other terms of the non-exclusive deal were not disclosed.