NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Precipio said today that it has inked an agreement to jointly offer its ICE COLD-PCR (ICP) mutation enrichment technology with PerkinElmer's NextPrep-Mag cell-free DNA isolation kit, Janus G3 liquid handling workstation, and Chemagic MSM I, Chemagic 360, and Chemagic Prime platforms.
Precipio and PerkinElmer anticipate providing an automated cell-free DNA analysis workflow alongside mutation enrichment technology in ICE COLD-PCR to enable lab-based liquid biopsy testing.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Precipio expects that the collaboration will significantly enhance its introduction of ICP to global markets, the firm's Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Miller said in a statement, adding, "Such strategic partnerships represent critical milestones in our plan for widespread adoption of our ICP-based testing products."
ICE COLD-PCR is a non-allele specific mutation multiplexed enrichment technology developed at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and licensed exclusively to Precipio that can be used on any downstream DNA sequencing platform and on any sample type. Precipio said that the technology delivers at least a five hundredfold improvement in sensitivity over standard methods and enables detection levels as low as 0.1 percent on blood plasma samples. Its ultra-high sensitivity allows comprehensive genomic analyses using liquid biopsies, the firm said.
Further, use of high-resolution melt technology as a screening tool after enrichment with ICP enables researchers to quickly and effectively rule out samples that are negative for a genetic mutation in the region of interest, Precipio said. Obtaining that information through a simple and quick up-front step could eliminate the need to perform more complex and costly genetic mutation detection, it added.
Arvind Kothandaraman, director of PerkinElmer's applied genomics product line, said in a statement that the firms expect the combination of their products "to provide unique value" in an optimized sample-to-answer workflow for laboratories and clinical researchers that offer liquid biopsy assays. "Our NextPrep-Mag cfDNA kits enable fast and efficient cell-free DNA extraction manually or automated on Chemagic nucleic acid isolation instruments," he said. "This complements Precipio's ICE COLD-PCR mutation enrichment well, enabling users to accelerate liquid biopsy testing and research."
Under the agreement, Precipio and PerkinElmer will engage in collaborative commercial efforts that include joint development and implementation of promotional material, instructions for use, product-supported development of scientific white papers and posters, reciprocal sales and customer training, and exhibits at trade shows and scientific conferences.