EiRx Therapeutics and bioMérieux annouced collaboration
EiRx Therapeutics plc announces that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with bioMérieux SA. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will work together to validate the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of candidate tumour markers emerging from their respective cancer research programmes.
EiRx and bioMérieux both undertake research into the expression of genes and proteins within tumour samples from cancer patients, aiming to identify "biomarkers" associated with the development and progression of the disease. Biomarker technologies are expected to contribute to the improved diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and to accelerate the development and clinical evaluation of new medicines. As such they are vital to the emerging science of personalised medicine and represent a major area of investment for the life sciences industry. During the collaboration, bioMérieux will explore the utility of proteins from EiRx's biomarker panel as components of new and improved diagnostic tests for colorectal cancer. At the same time, EiRx will employ its siRNA-driven functional validation platform to explore the utility of bioMérieux's colorectal biomarker panel as targets for new drug therapies.
During the evaluation phase of the collaboration, which will last up to 18 months, EiRx grants bioMérieux an exclusive option to license and exploit diagnostic applications of its biomarker intellectual property (IP). bioMérieux grants EiRx a reciprocal exclusive option to license and exploit therapeutic applications of its IP, and will undertake development of companion diagnostics for any drug candidates developed by EiRx against targets proposed by bioMérieux. Through this mechanism, EiRx gains a route to market for potential diagnostic applications of its research output, whilst bioMérieux seeks to support the creation of new markets for companion diagnostics. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Commenting on the collaboration, EiRx COO, Dr Colin Telfer, said: "Our partnership with bioMérieux represents acknowledgement of the quality of the cancer biology research undertaken by EiRx and our clinical collaborators in Aberdeen, the potential commercial value of the biomarkers we are studying, and the validity of our approach to functional target validation. We look forward to a successful collaborative programme and hope our joint efforts will lead to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic options for cancer patients".
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