Oct 27 2016
Biovica and Eisai Inc. have entered into a lab services agreement to analyze DiviTum™, an assay measuring serum thymidine kinase, for improved drug evaluation in animal cancer models.
In a preclinical setting at Eisai’s Andover innovative Medicine’s (AiM) Institute, Biovica’s non-invasive DiviTum™ technology will be used to test for evidence of tumor growth rate and correlation to tumor volume change. The objective is to investigate DiviTum™ as a tool for early evidence of drug efficacy that later can be transferred to be studied in humans and clinical studies, since DiviTum™ is able to measure enzymes strongly connected with the DNA-synthesis and cell proliferation rate.
“We look forward to working with Eisai, a company which develops important cancer drugs and has a substantial oncology pipeline. In this project we want to demonstrate the preclinical utility and unique information that DiviTum™ can provide to pharmaceutical companies developing novel oncology drugs,” said Biovica CEO Anders Rylander. “This aligns with our strategy to present DiviTum™ as a valuable tool in the early setting, in order to provide data that may be of great use in future clinical development and for the benefit of cancer patients.”
Eisai’s AiM Institute is a dedicated R&D innovation unit in Andover, Mass., which consists of 90 scientists focused delivering novel targeted medicines, discovered and validated by human genetics and related sources to patients. To learn more about Eisai AiM, please visit www.EisaiUS-Aim.com.
“This work will allow us to examine whether DiviTum™ can give us early signals of efficacy in blood collected from our pre-clinical animal models. If successful, this information could support future development of targeted medicines and translate into clinical utility,” said Mark Matijevic, Associate Director, Translational Biomedicine, Eisai AiM Institute.
Air pollution linked to head and neck cancer risk