NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Myriad Genetics said after the close of the market on Monday that its wholly owned subsidiary Myriad RBM has entered into a diabetes biomarker collaboration with Sanofi and Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) at Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University.
Myriad RBM will conduct protein biomarker research for the Outcome Reduction with Initial Glargine Intervention (ORIGIN) study, the world's longest and largest randomized clinical trial in pre- and early diabetes, according to Myriad. Researchers at PHRI will investigate the relationships between biomarker results and clinical outcomes.
Myriad RBM will analyze more than 8,000 serum samples collected in the ORIGIN study with its DiscoveryMap 250+ qualitative immunoassay panel with the goal of identifying biomarkers for optimizing treatment and improve patient care.
Myriad said that the collaboration could generate up to $10 million in companion diagnostic revenues for the firm during the next two fiscal years, and was "contemplated" in the firm's companion diagnostic service revenue guidance for fiscal 2013 provided in early November.
ORIGIN is a six-year outcomes trial evaluating Lantus (insulin glargine), marketed by Sanofi, against standard care in more than 12,500 individuals at high cardiovascular risk with diabetes or early type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study is funded by Sanofi.
"This biomarker project using DiscoveryMap is a logical extension of the landmark ORIGIN study," Matt McQueen, research laboratory director of PHRI, said in a statement. "The measurement of hundreds of relevant proteins in metabolic, inflammatory, and other important pathways has the potential to improve treatment protocols for diabetes."
Financial and other terms were not disclosed.