NEW YORK – Illumina said on Friday that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Janssen Research & Development to develop Illumina's molecular residual disease (MRD) liquid biopsy test for research.
According to Illumina, this is its first collaboration for this assay, a whole-genome sequencing multi-cancer test that detects circulating tumor DNA and is currently in development for research applications. The company plans to make the assay cost-effective, sensitive, and automated, with a turnaround time of five to seven days.
"This collaboration reflects the value of our unique MRD technology and the promise of Illumina's whole-genome approach in oncology," Joydeep Goswami, Illumina's CFO and chief strategy and corporate development officer, said in a statement.
The new agreement with Janssen is part of a long-term strategic collaboration the two firms signed in 2022 to develop precision medicines.
Illumina said it also intends to collaborate with other pharma companies on the development of its MRD assay.