Biodesix said this week it has entered a collaborative agreement with Bruker to support its VeriStrat diagnostic test, as well as future tests based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
A serum protein test for identifying cancer patients likely to respond to various therapies, Veristrat runs on Biodesix's MALDI-TOF-based ProTS platform, which uses Bruker Autoflex and Ultraflextreme instruments.
According to the companies, the collaboration will provide Biodesix with hardware and software support, as well as access to Bruker's latest instrument designs and improvements.
“We are pleased to solidify our relationship with one of our key partners with this new agreement,” Gary Pestano, head of product development and lab operations at Biodesix, said in a statement. “The support we receive from Bruker will substantially benefit both the delivery and development of our diagnostic tests.”
Gary Kruppa, vice president for business development at Bruker Daltonics noted in a statement that the company aimed through its support of Biodesix, to "increase the market for Bruker’s innovative MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers in diagnostics.”
While much of the interest in mass spec as a technology for clinical proteomics has centered around electrospray ionization triple quadrupole machines, Bruker has also been positioning its MALDI devices for this market.
Most notably, the company has developed for clinical use its MALDI-TOF-based MALDI Biotyper instrument, which uses MALDI mass spec for pathogen identification. Bruker has received regulatory approval in both the EU and Canada for that device and is pursuing US Food and Drug Administration approval.
The company is also involved in several collaborations exploring the use of MALDI mass spec for protein quantitation assays, a realm traditionally dominated by triple quads (PM 1/30/2012).
Also this week, Biodesix announced it closed on $8.8 million in a follow-on sale of its Series D preferred shares. The funds, all of which were provided by existing shareholders, will be used for development of its technology platform and expanded sales and marketing of the Veristrat test, the company said.