Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

MDxHealth, LifeLabs Ink Distribution Agreement for Prostate Cancer Assay

This story has been updated to correct the type of biomarker used in MDxHealth's SelectMDx assay.

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Belgian diagnostic firm MDxHealth announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with LifeLabs to offer MDxHealth's SelectMDx assay in Canada.

Toronto-based LifeLabs will serve as the exclusive distributor in Canada for the noninvasive liquid biopsy assay, which is a urine-based assay that measures the expression of two mRNA cancer-related biomarkers to stratify patients who have signs of aggressive prostate cancer.

Researchers will test liquid biopsy samples in MDxHealth's clinical diagnostic laboratory in Irvine, California, while LifeLabs will reimburse MDxHealth for all testing services performed at the lab.

"By making this innovative, noninvasive test available, we are improving the quality of prostate cancer diagnosis and delivering healthier outcomes for Canadians," LifeLabs CEO Charles Brown said in a statement.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

"With over 25,000 US patients tested with SelectMDx to date, the test is clearly gaining momentum to become the standard of care in diagnosing patients with increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer," MDxHealth CEO Jan Groen said in a statement. "This partnership agreement with LifeLabs demonstrates our commitment to making SelectMDx widely available in North America and to offering a valuable and accurate alternative for patients at risk for prostate cancer."

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.