AltheaDx partners with Compendia Bioscience to launch Breast Cancer Segregation Panel Assay

AltheaDx, Inc. today announced the formation of a strategic partnership with Compendia Bioscience to combine their respective core capabilities in assay development, validation and bioinformatics. The two companies will jointly create novel products and services focused on cancer biomarker discovery and subsequent development of tests that predict patient outcomes in clinical trials. From 2006, AltheaDx has enabled FFPE tissue-based biomarker discovery and companion diagnostic development. AltheaDx has facilitated the clinical utilization of biomarkers through validation and clinical sample testing under GLP and/or CLIA.

Compendia Bioscience co-founder and CEO, Dan Rhodes said, "AltheaDx has been a pioneering developer of PCR-based assays in clinical settings since its inception with very deep technical capabilities in genetic analysis.  We are thrilled by this new strategic partnership."

The inaugural product launch of the strategic partnership is the Breast Cancer Segregation Panel™ Assay.  This test is a real-time PCR-based panel, optimized for analysis of RNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues.  This panel measures 96 genes identified in a proprietary meta-analysis of cancer genomic data from more than 5,000 clinical samples.  AltheaDx will process and analyze samples in its San Diego-based CLIA/GLP laboratory while Compendia Bioscience will manage downstream data analysis and statistical correlation to patient outcomes in clinical trials.

"We are excited to announce this new partnership with Compendia Bioscience," said Francois Ferre, AltheaDx's co-founder and CEO.  "Compendia Bioscience is the recognized leader in translating cancer genomic data into meaningful information related to patient outcomes in clinical trials.  Compendia's powerful bioinformatics platform is providing highly valuable content around which we can develop predictive tests for our pharma partners."

Under the terms of the partnership the companies plan to develop Segregation Panels for other cancer types.  The next assay, the Colorectal Cancer Segregation Panel™, will be released in 2011.