Ventana Signs Agreement to Commercialize Antibody Associated with Cancer Diagnostics

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana; Tucson, AZ, USA; www.ventana.com), a member of the Roche Group, has signed an exclusive license agreement with the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and University Hospital Heidelberg (Germany) to commercialize an immunohistochemistry (IHC) primary antibody that detects a mutated protein found in cancer patients.

The antibody, developed by researchers Andreas von Deimling, MD, Hanswalter Zentgraf, PhD, and David Capper, MD, detects the V600E BRAF mutation protein exhibited in many human cancers. It will assist researchers in the diagnosis and prognosis of major cancers including colorectal, thyroid, brain, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

"I am very pleased to announce this exclusive licensing agreement with University Hospital Heidelberg to produce what we expect to be the first validated, commercially-available IHC antibodies capable of specifically detecting BRAF mutations to help support cancer diagnosis and inform treatment decisions," said Mara G. Aspinall, president, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. “It is another example of our ongoing commitment to improving patients' lives with the most advanced diagnostic solutions available globally."

The antibody is being developed both as an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) and for research use only (RUO). Ventana, which manufactures instruments and reagents for automating tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics, is developing the V600E BRAF mutation-specific antibody for IVD use on its Ventana BenchMark series of automated instruments.

Spring Bioscience (Pleasanton, CA, USA; www.springbio.com), a subsidiary of Ventana, will commercialize a BRAF V600E RUO antibody to support research applications.

The new IHC diagnostic will be added to Roche’s existing BRAF diagnostics portfolio.


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