NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Epigenomics and Predictive Biosciences today said that Predictive Biosciences will develop a prostate cancer test using the GSTP1 biomarker, under a licensing agreement extension.
The agreement, originally forged in 2009, gave Predictive the option to develop the test using the biomarker. In announcing today that it is executing that option, Predictive added that it will also commercialize the test. In return, Epigenomics will receive a one-time fee.
The German cancer diagnostic company also is eligible for royalties from future sales of the test, which is still under development.
Additional details of the deal were not disclosed.
In a statement, the companies said that methylation of the GSTP1 gene is a well-established biomarker for prostate cancer, and a test that can detect methylated GSTP1 DNA in urine or tissue, combined with conventional histopathology, could lead to more accurate diagnoses.