Agendia, a commercial-stage molecular cancer diagnostics company, announces today that it has entered into a research collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the world's leading cancer centers and whose research program is considered one of the most productive in the world aimed solely at cancer, and the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) with the aim of improving diagnosis and treatment options of colorectal cancer patients. The work is based on an approach toward integrating several genomic and proteomic technologies in order to study patterns of gene and protein expression in cancerous tumors that may, when combined, provide greater insight into the unique biology of individual patients' tumors and why patients often have different prognosis and varied responses to the same treatment.
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with more than 1.2 million new cases each year. Though early detection and better treatment options have resulted in improved prognoses for many patients, more than half of colorectal cancer patients still die from the disease. While past researchers have often looked at just one aspect of the cancer's progression, the new integrated approach utilized by MD Anderson, NKI and Agendia will analyze colorectal cancer samples on multiple levels. Specifically the collaboration will study the active genome (gene expression), mutation status and protein activation measured in the same sample and combine results with pathological and clinical data.
"In MD Anderson and NKI we have found not only experts in the fields of functional genomics, proteomics, and clinical oncology, but also partners who share our commitment to putting the most effective tools in the hands of physicians and their patients to simplify difficult cancer decisions," said Bernhard Sixt, Chief Executive Officer of Agendia.
In addition to a better understanding of the individual biology, this collaboration will allow an independent validation of ColoPrint(R), Agendia's colon cancer recurrence test. Agendia is currently developing ColoPrint(R), which works by identifying Stage II colon cancer patients who are either at low risk or at high risk of experiencing a disease recurrence. As demonstrated in previous validation studies for Agendia's currently marketed products, ColoPrint(R), when combined with clinical parameters, has the potential to provide clinicians with a more reliable means to assist them in treatment decision-making for patients with Stage II colon cancer.
"The unique structure of this consortium makes possible the rapid translation of results from research and discovery to clinical setting that benefits patients sooner," said Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, principal investigator of this research consortium and Assistant Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at MD Anderson.
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