A Diagnostic & Imaging Week

The Fisher Biosciences group of Fisher Scientific International (Hampton, New Hampshire) has launched a five-year collaboration with the University of Michigan (U-M; Ann Arbor) to develop new tools for genomic and proteomic research.

The collaboration is designed to promote opportunities for Fisher to combine its expertise with research at the Center for Chemical Genomics (CCG) within the university’s Life Sciences Institute.

Fisher will provide financial support for select research projects at the university and will have the opportunity to license new technologies resulting from that research. The program is designed to foster the discovery of novel technologies in the areas of high-throughput screening and detection, protein expression, chemical diversity and bioinformatics.

Fisher Biosciences is targeting the development of new procedures for protein testing and sample preparation, innovative ways of using RNA-interference products, broader applications of high-content screening and other advancements.

“These technologies will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of disease research and drug discovery and ultimately speed the development of new diagnostics and therapies,” said Leland Foster, CEO of Fisher Biosciences.

The newly opened CCG is a key center for collaboration in the U-M’s Life Sciences Institute. It uses high-throughput chemical-screening technology and the robust knowledge base from drug discovery to explore broad aspects of biological space.

Genzyme (Cambridge, Massachusetts) said it has entered into a license agreement with the University of California at Los Angeles’ (UCLA) Jonsson Cancer Center to obtain exclusive, worldwide diagnostic rights to its discovery of gene mutations believed to be associated with drug resistance to Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), the current first-line therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

The molecular hallmark of CML is a mutation known as BCR-ABL. This mutation is the specific target for Gleevec and is found in 95% of patients with CML. Secondary mutations in the ABL portion of the gene correlate with treatment failure or relapse in most patients on Gleevec therapy.

Through this license, Genzyme said it will be the first company to develop and market a diagnostic test to detect a significant portion of these secondary BCR-ABL mutations and monitor resistance in CML patients prior to, and during, treatment with Gleevec. Results from such a test may assist physicians in predicting patient relapse before it happens and making appropriate adjustments in treatment.

“Developing diagnostic tests for targeted cancer therapies and making them available to physicians and their patients is our top priority, and this is the third such unique test that we intend to develop and launch this year,” said Mara Aspinall, president of Genzyme Genetics, the business unit of Genzyme focused on the research and development of complex diagnostic testing services. Genzyme recently launched a test to specifically identify epidermal growth factor receptor mutations associated with non-small cell lung cancer.

“This new test is designed to identify those patients who are likely to respond to Gleevec, as well as those who are likely to develop resistance to the drug,” she added. “Because CML is a chronic disease, requiring ongoing therapy, the literature suggests that the long-term morbidity and quality of life should improve for many patients as a result of physicians having access to this test.”