Biodesix, Inc. and Inivata recently announced they will collaborate in the development and commercialization of blood tests using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for lung cancer. This partnership will leverage Inivata’s proprietary TAm-Seq™ platform and Biodesix’ capacity to target the US market to provide innovative tests for physicians.
“Approximately 30% of NSCLC patients are unable to obtain a biopsy or have insufficient tissue from a lung cancer biopsy to provide the diagnostic information needed for their care. Blood-based diagnostics can make a real difference in such cases. Using Inivata’s circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis platform, we can now provide information that was previously unattainable for these patients, leading to better outcomes,” said Inivata’s CEO Michael Stocum in a recent news release.
Under the agreement terms, the companies will conduct investigation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using Inivata’s NGS platform. Both companies will support the investigation costs in order to understand the efficacy of the Next Generation Sequencing blood test. An observational study is expected to start later this year.
Biodesix CEO David Brunel said in the news release, “Along with VeriStrat®, a serum protein test that is already commercially available to help physicians guide treatment decisions for patients with advanced NSCLC, the blood-based NGS tests we’re developing with Inivata will further drive towards precision medicine by guiding diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring for patients with NSCLC.”
Inivata CSO Nitzan Rosenfeld added, “The combination of our world-class blood-based sequencing technology with Biodesix’ ability to develop and establish diagnostics as standard of care creates a strong platform to develop new highly clinically relevant tests. We are excited to be working with Biodesix to improve the care offered to cancer patients.”
Recent estimates indicate that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Biodesix and Inivata will be working to better comprehend the effectiveness of NGS-blood based tests to improve the clinical care for patients with lung cancer. The companies will also be collaborating with both pharmaceutics and key opinion leaders.
