Thursday, December 20, 2018
IncellDx, a leading single cell cancer diagnostics company, today announced it has entered into an assay development agreement with Zomedica (NYSE American: ZOM) (TSX-V: ZOM), a veterinary diagnostic and pharmaceutical company, to identify and enumerate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from canine cancers using its BioINK Liquid Biopsy Reagent Platform. The investigational assay will incorporate biomarkers from Zomedica's canine cancer research programs with IncellDx's core BioINK reagents and novel cell cycle capabilities on CTCs.
"We are excited to collaborate with Zomedica on this important veterinary diagnostic, that could inform and enhance our understanding of human cancer and early detection in blood," said Bruce K. Patterson, MD, Founder and CEO of IncellDx. "Our unique BioINK platform preserves antigen and nucleic acid biomarkers while allowing simultaneous cell cycle assessment on single cells captured using the Celsee Genesis microfluidic instrument."
"We are energized to join forces with some of the brightest minds in the liquid biopsy market from IncellDx and Celsee to fight cancer, a disease that is difficult and taxing for both animals and humans," stated Stephanie Morley, DVM, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Product Development at Zomedica. "This interdisciplinary animal and human health collaboration, or 'One Health' approach, is critical to achieving optimal outcomes to diagnose and treat cancer more effectively."
The Celsee Genesis system was designed to overcome the limitations of other tools for single-cell analysis, providing a robust, scalable, and flexible way for scientists to analyze and interpret cellular behavior and collect critical cell-based information that was previously undetectable. Zomedica entered into a license and supply agreement with Celsee in 2017 to develop and market the Genesis liquid biopsy platform for use by veterinarians as a cancer diagnostic. Celsee also previously partnered with IncellDx on a lung cancer/CTC PD-L1 feasibility study leading to a co-commercialization agreement.
"We are delighted to see the synergies that our technology platform has created for two of our valued partners," commented John Stark, CEO of Celsee, Inc. "This collaboration epitomizes the value that our collective focus on single cell analysis technology can bring to diagnostics."
Dr. Patterson added "IncellDx continues to build on its single cell technology for both primary tumor and CTCs in blood providing high parameter detection and bioinformatics prior to or obviating the need for further analysis of captured CTCs. It is natural to extend our applications to the rapidly growing pet care sector."
