NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics today said that it has signed a master collaboration agreement with Pfizer for the development of companion diagnostics for certain undisclosed therapeutic products in the drug giant's pipeline.
Siemens didn't disclose which diagnostic technologies it intends to apply to the collaboration, but noted that Siemens Clinical Laboratory, the firm's high-complexity lab that is focused on advancing personalized medicine, would develop the companion diagnostic tests for Pfizer. It said the in vitro tests would be used in clinical studies and potentially be commercialized for use with Pfizer therapeutics.
Trevor Hawkins, SVP of strategy and innovations for the Diagnostics Division of Siemens Healthcare, said the agreement "marks a major milestone in Siemens' personalized medicine strategy."
The firms didn't disclose any additional terms of the agreement.
Siemens began building up its companion diagnostics business a couple of years ago through several partnerships. Company officials previously told GenomeWeb Daily News that the firm has experience working with different types of molecular technologies — including mass spectrometry, PCR, and next-generation sequencing — for companion diagnostic purposes.