NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Trovagene today said that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Strand Life Sciences, under which Strand will license and validate Trovagene's human papillomavirus urine test and high-risk HPV DNA assay.
Bangalore, India-based Strand will have rights to offer the test in India and countries in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation for clinical diagnostic and carrier screening applications. Strand intends to perform analytical and clinical validation studies on the assay technology in its target markets, with an initial study of the diagnostic accuracy using urine as a specimen in various stages of disease progression.
Strand also intends to validate the clinical utility of HPV DNA testing as a risk indicator and pathological cause of oral cancer in buccal swabs, biopsies, and saliva/sputum specimens.
Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"The potential to use urine, an easily obtained and stable testing sample, for high-risk HPV carrier screening across medically underserved areas is very promising," Vijay Chandru, chairman and CEO of Strand, said in a statement.