Ventana to Develop Companion Diagnostics for ImmunoGen Anticancer Agents

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Tucson, AZ, USA), member of the Roche Group, has announced a collaboration agreement with ImmunoGen, Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) to develop biomarker assays and a companion diagnostic (CDx) immunohistochemistry (IHC) test for one or more of ImmunoGen's product candidates. The goal of the collaboration is to leverage Ventana's expertise in CDx development (from prototyping through regulatory approval and commercialization) to help identify specific patient populations most likely to benefit from ImmunoGen's bio-target directed therapies.

Under this agreement, the companies have created an initial test for folate receptor alpha (FRa, also known as folate receptor 1 (FOL1)) that is being used in early trials of IMGN853, ImmunoGen's FRa-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). Cancers that highly express FRa include epithelial ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and types of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC).

"Companion diagnostic tests play a central role in delivering on the promise of personalized healthcare," said Doug Ward, vice president, Ventana Companion Diagnostics, "We're very pleased that this agreement with ImmunoGen should further expand our menu of companion diagnostic test offerings for our pharma and biotech collaborators to benefit patients."

"Our antibody-drug conjugate experimental therapies are designed to hone in on specific targets found on patients' cancer cells," said Dr. Charles Morris, EVP and Chief Development Officer, ImmunoGen. "Companion diagnostics can play an important role in ensuring the patients receiving our agents are ones with the targets and thus the patients most likely to benefit from the treatment. Having this collaboration with Ventana in place now helps us make sure the right patients are receiving IMGN853 during its development."

This pharma collaboration is one of dozens currently underway where the Ventana CDx team is delivering such patient-stratifying diagnostic tools. Additional Ventana collaborations include Bayer, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda's Millennium unit, Genmab, Incyte, and MedImmune. Since 2002, Ventana has worked with more than 45 biopharmaceutical partners and is currently engaged in more than 180 collaborative projects to develop and commercialize CDx globally.

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Ventana Medical Systems
ImmunoGen, Inc.