NEW YORK – Epigenomics said this week that it is in advanced negotiations with an unnamed US-based strategic investor about the acquisition of almost all of its assets. If the deal comes through, it will include all patents and other intellectual property rights relating to the German company's Epi proColon and Epi proColon "NextGen" tests as well as all blood samples owned by the firm. The anticipated purchase price is just over $11.5 million, consisting of $1.5 million in cash at closing and in December of this year, as well as milestone payments relating to Epi proColon and Epi proColon "NextGen," and shares of the acquiring company. The agreement would also include royalties and earn-out payments that Epigenomics would receive if the Epi proColon "NextGen" assay is commercialized.
Precipio announced this week a deal with an unnamed New York-based academic healthcare institution to jointly develop a test panel for glioblastoma using the company's HemeScreen technology. Precipio will design and develop the genetic panel that gauges prognostic and therapeutic markers for the brain cancer. The institution will provide patient samples as well as clinical expertise. It intends to be the first to use the panel upon completion of its development. New Haven, Connecticut-based Precipio said it anticipates the development process will last four months and cost less than $50,000.
ITM Isotope Technologies said this week that it has opened a new production facility near Munich, Germany, which it will use to manufacture lutetium-177 for use in targeted cancer radiopharmaceuticals. According to ITM, the facility is the world’s largest production site of lutetium-177. ITM will use the facility to supply the therapeutic radioisotope to clinics and pharmaceutical partners while also using it for its own drug pipeline.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals this week said the US Food and Drug Administration approved the biopharmaceutical company's prior-approval supplement for its biologics license application for Adstiladrin (nadofaragene firadenovec), a gene therapy to treat non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. With this approval, Ferring will be able to scale up its drug substance manufacturing process at a manufacturing site being constructed in Finland; a separate facility under construction in Parsippany, New Jersey, is also dedicated to Adstiladrin. Ferring expects to start making the gene therapy initially available in the US in the second half of the year.
Molecular diagnostics developer Gencurix said this week that it gained Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approval for a PCR test used to identify EGFR mutations that are common in non-small cell lung cancer patients and guide therapy selection. The Seoul-based firm said its Droplex EGFR Mutation Test V2 can detect up to 107 mutations, including exon 20 insertion, and it can be run on Bio-Rad Laboratories' Droplet Digital PCR instrument. The firm noted it secured CE marking for the test last year.
The Department of Health of Abu Dhabi said this week that it has signed a declaration of collaboration with Mass General Brigham's International Center for Genetic Disease (iCGD). The goal of the collaboration, financial terms of which were not disclosed, is to promote clinical and translational research, build capacity, and commercialize technology in the life sciences. The partners will use the Emirate's genomics capabilities to expand research into genomic medicine and genetic diseases including rare diseases, oncology, neurology, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease. The collaboration aims to enhance access to treatments for patients in the United Arab Emirates and beyond. Specifically, it will focus on analyzing whole-genome sequencing data from the Emirati Genome Program and on translational studies to develop novel therapies including gene therapies. The partners will also explore opportunities to establish joint laboratories and genetic screening programs in Abu Dhabi.
BC Platforms said this week that it has added Hospital do Coração in São Paulo, Brazil, to its BCRquest.com global biobank analytics platform. The cardiology center, known as HCor, will contribute de-identified longitudinal patient data on conditions including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke to the BCRquest.com network. HCor sees nearly 80,000 patients per day.
In Brief This Week is a selection of news items that may be of interest to our readers but had not previously appeared in Precision Medicine Online.