Personalized Cancer Diagnostics to be Developed on the BD MAX™ Platform

BD Diagnostics, a segment of global medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), and Lab21, a global leader in personalized healthcare diagnostics, have announced today that they will collaborate to develop oncology assays for the BD MAX™ fully automated, bench-top molecular system.

As part of the collaboration, Lab21 will develop polymerase chain reaction-based assays to be performed on the BD MAX platform from BD Diagnostics. These assays will identifty a series of oncology markers. BD will manufacture and commercialize these tests worldwide.

The first two assays will be designed to detect mutations in the KRAS and BRAF genes, which are found in several types of cancer. These initial assays were selected because of their current importance in optimizing the management of cancer patients. The agreement also includes the development of novel nucleic acid extraction procedures from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.

This collaboration will enable BD Diagnostics to offer personalized cancer diagnostics on the BD MAX system for the first time.

“When used in conjunction with other laboratory and clinical information, these assays will provide critical input to support oncologists and their patients in making more informed decisions about their care,” said Tom Polen, President, BD Diagnostics – Diagnostic Systems.

Graham Mullis, CEO of Lab21, added, “We are pleased to expand our partnership with BD from the detection of Aspergillus species to the broader development and commercialization of important diagnostic markers in the oncology area. Lab21 has significant experience with and proven assay development capability in cancer molecular diagnostics.”