MDS Pharma Services(Montreal), a provider of drug discovery and development solutions, has spearheaded the formation ofThe Biomarker Allianceserving the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The alliance, which will design and execute a range of biomarker discovery and development programs, is made up of biomarker service providersCaprion Pharmaceuticals(also Montreal),Gentris(Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), the Department of Radiology ofMassachusetts General Hospital(Boston) and MDS Pharma.

“The economics and uncertainties of drug development demand that successful companies quickly demonstrate the safety and efficacy of their compounds,” said Lloyd Segal, president and CEO, Caprion. “Using biomarkers to make key development decisions early can reduce development timelines and increase the likelihood of regulatory and clinical success, thereby maximizing market positioning.”

The Biomarker Alliance is calling itself the only organization providing “single-point access to proteomics, pharmacogenomics, imaging, assay development and clinical testing together in one, easy-to-access package designed to maximize the probability of success of any drug candidate.”

“This combination of services is ideal since it represents the type of work in which our clients are already expressing interest,” said Michael Murphy, president and CEO, Gentris.

“The members of the Alliance have seen the future and the potential. They know what it will take to identify and apply biomarkers in a scientific manner that expresses the safety and efficacy of new compounds that could potentially change the way medicine is practiced today,” said Murphy.