Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings : XDx and LabCorp Enter Into Collaboration and License Agreement to Develop Lupus Flare Predictor Test
05/23/2012| 07:35am US/Eastern
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XDx, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration and
license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America®
Holdings (LabCorp) (NYSE: LH) whereby each party will collaborate in
marker discovery, and LabCorp will develop and commercialize a
diagnostic test to predict flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
The agreement combines XDx's autoimmune diagnostics research and
discovery experience and SLE blood sample database with LabCorp's
diagnostic development and commercialization resources. Financial terms
of the agreement were not disclosed.
SLE, also known as lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting over
1.5 million people in the U.S., according to the Lupus Foundation of
America. Lupus disease flares are periods of increased disease activity.
The major challenge for physicians managing patients with lupus is to
treat this active phase without allowing the treatment itself to cause
long-term damage. Treatment for active lupus differs, depending on the
organ systems involved and disease severity. Current treatment often
includes a combination of drugs.
Pierre Cassigneul, XDx's President and Chief Executive Officer,
commented, "Building upon our success in the immune-mediated diagnostic
market with our first approved product, AlloMap® Molecular
Expression Testing, XDx is dedicated to expanding its pipeline of high
value diagnostic tests to other diseases that involve the activity of
the immune system. In lupus, we have developed an extensive, proprietary
database of lupus blood samples that we will use in collaboration with
LabCorp to initiate its development of a biomarker for the flare test.
We look forward to a fruitful relationship with this world-class
partner."
"Lupus remains a critical area of unmet medical need, and new tests are
needed to help clinicians anticipate when patients may need additional
therapeutic interventions for the treatment of flares," stated LabCorp's
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mark Brecher. "This agreement with XDx
advances our strategy of developing and introducing tests to provide
personalized information that can be used to help physicians and their
patients."
About XDx
XDx, Inc., based in Brisbane, California, is a molecular diagnostics
company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of
non-invasive tests for the monitoring of transplant rejection and
autoimmune diseases. The company has developed AlloMap Molecular
Expression Testing, an FDA-cleared test, which provides transplant
physicians with a tool to aid in the determination of the probability of
acute cellular rejection for post-cardiac transplant patient management.
Some of the AlloMap technology developed and implemented by XDx in heart
transplant patient management may be applicable to other conditions that
involve transplant rejection and diseases that affect the immune system.
XDx's non-invasive technology offers the potential to decrease
healthcare costs and improve the quality of life for patients with a
variety of life-threatening or life-altering immune-mediated diseases.
For more information, please visit: www.xdx.com.
Media
Burns McClellan
Justin
Jackson
Michelle Szwarcberg
Tel: 212-213-0006
jjackson@burnsmc.com
mszwarcberg@burnsmc.com
or
XDx,
Inc.
Matthew Meyer
Chief Business Officer
Tel:
415-287-2393
mmeyer@xdx.com
© Business Wire 2012
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