The Minnesota-based Mayo Medical Laboratories has entered into a deal with a European firm to develop what it calls a “novel” series of new molecular assays based on next-generation sequencing. Under the terms of the agreement, the Mayo Clinic’s division of clinical microbiology will supply appropriate tissue samples to Advanced Biological Laboratories for use in developing new laboratory-developed tests. The two organizations will also develop a sequencing database as the result of their collaboration. Additionally, Mayo Medical Laboratories will also have access to Advanced Biological’s genotyping platforms, which include both Sanger and next-generation sequencing. Its two primary products, the ViroScore Suite and DeepChek, have yet to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and therefore can only be used for research purposes. However, the platforms are widely available in Europe through a distribution agreement Advanced Biological has with Roche Diagnostics International. Advanced Biological, which is based in Luxembourg, is a spinoff company from that country’s Public Research Center for Health. It focuses specifically on molecular testing and ongoing monitoring of infectious chronic diseases, specifically HIV, the HPV virus, and hepatitis. Those three medical conditions are treatable with drug regimens, but caring for patients in the long term is […]
The Minnesota-based Mayo Medical Laboratories has entered into a deal with a European firm to develop what it calls a “novel” series of new molecular assays based on next-generation sequencing.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Mayo Clinic’s division of clinical microbiology will supply appropriate tissue samples to Advanced Biological Laboratories for use in developing new laboratory-developed tests. The two organizations will also develop a sequencing database as the result of their collaboration.
Additionally, Mayo Medical Laboratories will also have access to Advanced Biological’s genotyping platforms, which include both Sanger and next-generation sequencing. Its two primary products, the ViroScore Suite and DeepChek, have yet to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and therefore can only be used for research purposes. However, the platforms are widely available in Europe through a distribution agreement Advanced Biological has with Roche Diagnostics International.
Advanced Biological, which is based in Luxembourg, is a spinoff company from that country’s Public Research Center for Health. It focuses specifically on molecular testing and ongoing monitoring of infectious chronic diseases, specifically HIV, the HPV virus, and hepatitis. Those three medical conditions are treatable with drug regimens, but caring for patients in the long term is often complicated and expensive.
“Properly validated and characterized laboratory-developed tests offer valuable direction to clinicians and virologists. They guide the selection of optimal treatments and diagnostic monitoring for patients suffering from genetically variable virological diseases of either an acute or chronic nature,” said Advanced Biological Chief Executive Officer Chalom Sayada, M.D. “When developed in a timely manner, these tests can be crucial to improved clinical outcomes and decreases in treatment failures, adverse events, and health care costs.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Takeaway: Mayo Medical Laboratories is willing to go overseas and enter into untraditional partnerships in order to expand its testing portfolio.
