NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Metabolomic Technologies (MTI) announced today that it has signed a deal making Atlantic Diagnostic Laboratories (ADL) the exclusive licensee and distributor of its urine-based test for detecting pre-cancerous colon polyps in 11 US states and Washington DC.
The test, called PolypDx, was developed by researchers at the University of Alberta and detects colonic adenomatous polyps — which typically progress into colorectal cancer — based on a metabolite signature in urine. Edmonton, Alberta-based MTI was formed in 2013 by the University of Alberta, the government of Alberta, and BGI Shenzhen with help from business incubator TEC Edmonton to develop, commercialize, validate, and market the test.
PolypDx is currently available as a laboratory-developed test, but MTI is pursuing regulatory approval in the US, Canada, and Europe, according to a company official.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pennsylvania-based ADL will have the exclusive rights to sell PolypDx for three and a half years in exchange for unspecified multi-million dollar payments. MTI said the test will be available through ADL in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Kentucky, and Washington DC.
ADL offers various diagnostics, including toxicological, microbiological, and immunological tests.
MTI aims to sign additional deals to expand the test's availability elsewhere in the US.