Sysmex Inostics and Bayer HealthCare to Develop Blood-Based Companion Diagnostic Tests

Sysmex Inostics, a subsidiary of Sysmex Corporation, today announced a master collaboration agreement with Bayer HealthCare for the development of companion diagnostics for targeted cancer therapies. The partnership pairs Sysmex Inostics’ innovative blood-based companion diagnostic solutions with targeted anti-cancer agents developed by Bayer.

“We are pleased to partner with Bayer HealthCare, a global company with an extensive drug development expertise and a broadening oncology franchise, to advance new targeted therapies for cancer patients,” said Frank Diehl, CSO of Sysmex Inostics. “With our innovative technology for blood-based companion diagnostics we will open up new possibilities in personalized medicine together with Bayer.”

Companion diagnostic tests are designed to analyze the specific molecular characteristics of a patient’s tumor to help guide treatment decisions. The tests will provide evidence which patients are more likely to respond to a particular anti-cancer agent. Under the master collaboration agreement, Sysmex Inostics will develop blood-based diagnostic tests based on its BEAMing technology. Sysmex Inostics BEAMing tests enable a very sensitive analysis of circulating tumor DNA shed into the blood stream from tumors which provides a non-invasive alternative to biopsies to obtain the mutational status of a patient’s tumor. This so called “liquid biopsy” allows the selection of an appropriate therapeutic agent without the need of further surgeries or biopsies. Moreover, blood-based diagnostic DNA tests can be performed on patients where no tumor tissue is available.

“We are excited to collaborate with the team at Sysmex Inostics on the development of blood-based companion diagnostic tests for our novel targeted therapies in oncology,” said Prof. Andreas Busch, Head of Global Drug Discovery and Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer HealthCare. “Blood-based DNA tests provide diagnostic options for cancer patients without tumor biopsies being necessary. With this collaboration, we continue to strengthen our engagement in the field of personalized medicine with the aim of developing innovative therapies for cancer patients.”