Alliance to Develop Gene-Based Lab Tests

An alliance to develop new gene-based tests has been announced by Roche Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) and Quest Diagnostics Inc. (Teterboro, NJ, USA). The tests will be based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology developed by Roche.

The collaboration is expected to focus mainly on applications in pharmacogenomics and predictive medicine. Pharmacogenomics tests are used to predict the effectivenss of specific therapies in individuals and also to help doctors monitor the effectiveness of treatments. Predictive medicine tests are used by doctors to evaluate an individual's predisposition to diseases. In addition, the two companies plan to collaborate on the commercialization of gene-based markers to assess the risk for stroke and asthma. The companies also agreed to expand the use of PCR technology in routine clinical laboratory tests and to evaluate the next generation of assays for viral diseases such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) utilizing real-time PCR on Roche's Cobas TaqMan platform.

"By combining our experience and resources, we expect to expedite the transition of genomic discoveries into effective diagnostic products,” said Martin Madaus, president and CEO of Roche Diagnostics Corp.





Related Links:
Roche Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics