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Illumina, MolecularMD Agree to Collaborate on Sequencing-Based Companion Diagnostics

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – MolecularMD said today that it has entered into an agreement with Illumina that establishes a framework for potential collaboration on next-generation sequencing-based companion diagnostics.

The companies did not disclose details of the agreement, but said that it would combine Illumina's NGS technology with MolecularMD's experience developing companion diagnostics and submitting products for US Food and Drug Administration clearance, with the goal of developing tests to support biopharmaceutical drug development programs.

MolecularMD opened its diagnostic laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2012 and provides NGS solutions to support oncology clinical trials. It received CLIA certification and CAP accreditation in 2014, and had also adopted Thermo Fisher's Oncomine Cancer Research Panel and validated circulating tumor DNA analysis methods using Thermo Fisher's Ion AmpliSeq technology.

"The ability to collaborate with Illumina on defined projects will greatly aid our clients to mitigate risks and to accelerate their clinical trial programs," MolecularMD CEO Dan Snyder said in a statement.

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