NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Exact Sciences today announced it has expanded its collaboration with Mayo Clinic to include all gastrointestinal cancers and diseases, as well as new cancer screening applications of stool- and blood-based testing.
Exact will still have exclusive rights to commercialize products resulting from the new deal, which builds on a 2009 agreement between it and Mayo.
As part of the new agreement, Exact will make upfront, milestone, and royalty payments of an undisclosed amount to Mayo. It also will continue to fund the collaborative work of David Ahlquist, who developed the technology which formed the basis of the original 2009 agreement between the partners.
The collaboration between Exact and Mayo has resulted in the Cologuard biomarker panel for colorectal cancer that is currently in clinical trials and that Exact plans to commercialize after clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration. Exact has previously said that it expects to file for FDA clearance of the test later this year, with a clinical module submitted early in the first quarter of 2013.